Hey, late-era boomers, remember these?

No, not futile charges over the lip of the trench. I mean “How and Why” Wonder Books. They were bigger than comics, with thicker covers – and that made them more important. They were also, unfortunately, education, which made them less than comics.

This cover shows an unusual moment in warfare: some doughboys are mounting an attack at the same time a naval engagement occurs off shore; they are apparently impervious to shrapnel, since a bomb just went off in front of them without effect. When they get back from the charge, they may want to talk to the guy who installed the barbed wire behind their trench. Maybe he was trying to prevent reinforcements from coming along and getting their damn foolish selves all shot up, too.

In any case, it’s an interesting relic: in the 60s, the Great War was something they expected kids might want to learn about. In case a book report was required.