In the context of the times, faced with the apparent invincibility of German armies, this was just enough. The valour of the aircrews, famously saluted by Winston Churchill in the House of Commons, was presented to a grateful nation in a timely pamphlet account of the Battle of Britain. The hunger for good news ensured that this would be a runaway bestseller. The initial print run of 50,000 sold out in a few hours; 300,000 extra copies were quickly ordered. An illustrated version, with action photographs and explanatory diagrams, sold 700,000 copies. By April 1942, The Battle of Britain, August–October 1940 had been published in forty-three editions in twenty-four languages and serialised in newspapers around the globe.

Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile Hist…, loc. 748