This book was originally intended as a Christmas and New Year diversion for soldiers facing a harsh winter in the trenches on Gallipoli. In November 1915 a committee was formed to produce the publication and a notice seeking contributions was circulated at Gallipoli. Prizes were offered for various categories and 150 submissions were received, although not all were incorporated in the book. After the evacuation of Gallipoli, official war correspondent Charles Bean and his assistant, Arthur Bazely, edited the contributions. The drawing on the front cover, "Gallipoli 1915" is by David Baker. Over 100,000 copies of the book were sold. About half went to the AIF and many could also be found in Australian households. It cost 2/6. The illustrations, stories, cartoons and poems for this book were cCreated by soldiers under enemy fire and in extreme hardship. This book is of great historic significance as a contemporary record of The AIF in Gallipoli.A thick 169 pp book with paper cover, titled in black text 'The Anzac Book / Written and Illustrated in Gallipoli by the Men of Anzac.It contains pages of text, some colour illustrations and cartoons. On the cover is a drawing of a determined looking soldier carrying a bayonet in front of a tattered British flag. world-war-1 literature book-the-anzac-book gallipoli