author
Militia of Mercy (U.S.). Gift Book Committee
A little-known World War I–era editorial committee, this U.S. group is remembered for gathering patriotic writing and art into a single ambitious volume. Its work offers a snapshot of how Americans and their allies framed democracy, sacrifice, and public spirit during the war years.
1 Audiobook
Defenders of Democracy Contributions from representative men and women of letters and other arts from our allies and our own country, edited by the Gift book committee of the Militia of Mercy
by Militia of Mercy (U.S.). Gift Book Committee
About the author
The Gift Book Committee of the Militia of Mercy was not an individual author but a U.S.-based committee connected with the Militia of Mercy, an organization now mainly remembered through its published work. The committee is credited with editing Defenders of Democracy, issued in New York by John Lane Company in 1918.
That book brought together contributions from representative men and women of letters and the arts from the United States and allied countries, reflecting the language of solidarity and democratic purpose common during World War I. Surviving library and archive records consistently identify the committee as the editor rather than naming a single personal author.
Because the committee appears in records mostly through this one volume, very little biographical detail about its individual members is easy to confirm. What remains clear is its historical role: shaping a collaborative wartime anthology meant to inspire readers and honor the ideals its contributors believed they were defending.