Protect and Survive [with] Domestic Nuclear Shelters [and] Meet Mr. Bomb.

futile preparedness?

Uncommon first editions of the UK's famous Protect and Survive civil defense pamphlet, its companion volume, Domestic Nuclear Shelters, and the parody Meet Mr. Bomb.

Described by Imperial War Museum curator Matt Brosnan as, 'deeply unnerving', Protect and Survive was based on civil defense guidelines developed during the 1970s. These were originally meant to be issued only if war broke out, but rising Cold War tensions led Margaret Thatcher's government to publish them in May of 1980. The booklet provides advice on sheltering in place for up to two weeks by constructing an 'inner refuge' in the home, with details of what to keep in a survival kit. Its companion volume, Domestic Nuclear Shelters, goes into greater detail about the physical and radiological impacts of a nuclear detonation and how to build a more permanent shelter in a garden or basement (Brown, 'Armageddon Advice Guide to be Republished, the Guardian, March 2017).

The parody booklet, Meet Mr. Bomb: A Practical Guide to Nuclear Extinction by 'the Ministry of Futile Preparedness', was produced by staff of the US comedy magazine National Lampoon, and was part of a wave of responses that included E. P. Thompson's Protest and Survive and Raymond Briggs' When the Wind Blows.

First editions. Pamphlet 1, Protect and Survive: 30 pages, wire-stitched (21 x 15 cm); illustrations throughout printed in black and orange, ink lines drawn through the lettering on the lower cover, dampstain to the upper cover affecting the extreme edge of the margins of a few leaves, rubbed and creased, very good condition. Pamphlet 2, Domestic Nuclear Shelters: 23 pages, wire-stitched (20 x 14.5 cm), illustrations throughout printed in black and blue, rubbed and creased with some marks on the covers, very good condition. Pamphlet 3: Meet Mr. Bomb: 28 pages, wire-stitched (27 x 20.5 cm), illustrations throughout printed in black and orange, rubbed and creased, very good condition.