The one place consumers would be ensured of finding 'war reading' is the bookshop at the acclaimed Australian War Memorial in Canberra. The large selection of books and DVDs on display there reveal a ready market.
I had cause to correspond with the 'Memorial Bookshop' looking for the 1987 two-part documentary series 'Wings of the Storm' about Australian airmen in Bomber Command in England.
Although it's identified on the internet on the film database, it seems to be one of those documentary series which is unattainable. Can anyone help me in locating this two part series.
I was one of many who encouraged Australian WWII Pathfinder pilot the late Tom Scotland, who flew 63 missions, to write his 1990 book 'Voice from the Stars' of his experiences, which was followed in 1993 by 'AFTER Voice from the Stars' about his Christian missionary endeavours.
With the number of Australian WWII diggers dwindling with time, I've noticed a resurgence of literature and film documentary on this era. It indicates a sociological phenomenon reminding the nation of their heritage in sacrifice.
Yet with all this, the Christian bookshop market is far and away larger than this in sales and distribution. Many Christian-based publications sell several millions of copies, not including sales of the Bible.
Yet there are many Christian books that relate to individual's experience in military conflict – from war zones to terrorist situations. There has been an active distribution of the Christian message through literature that is quite apart from modern marketing. Moreover, anything of the Jewish holocaust are big sellers.
The printing press
Since the invention of the printing press, the sermons of great preachers such as John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, C H Spurgeon, Martyn Lloyd-Jones were reproduced weekly in their thousands upon thousands, and taken up by avid readers.
Even then, this was nothing new. John Chrysostom (347-407AD) in Constantinople who was nicknamed 'Golden Mouth' had his sermons similarly reproduced in the thousands, but by short-hand writers.
What therefore is the one vital ingredient that relates this spiritual hunger for reading about the Salvation message of Jesus Christ over all the centuries?
The Spirit of God that was promised and was revealed on the Day of Pentecost for all believers in Christ, the comforter and guide for every Christian.
The Biblical announcement claimed that God Himself, as revealed in His Spirit, lives within each follower of Jesus Christ. This has been evidenced in the witness of believers through the centuries, and one manifestation of this is the demonstrated hunger for Christian literature.
This is one of the hallmarks of the Christian walk, this never-ending joy of reading about this positive life-giving message. We understand the assurances as they are written by fellow travellers; pilgrims who are going through the same issues as ourselves.
As the nation reflects on ANZAC so too many will be reading the stories of those from conflict zones and through such revelations there will be a steady stream of the saving Grace of Christ in the midst of the most horrific dramas.