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Books on Trench Art

Trench Art: An Illustrated History
By Jane A Kimball, 2004 (Silverpenny Press)
This is Jane’s ‘magnum opus’, the result of a lifetime’s accumulation of trench art pieces and, perhaps more importantly, contemporary references. This book is utterly comprehensive, with examples and references from the more obscure 19th and 20th century conflicts, as well as the eponymous trench warfare of the two world wars. Examples of trench art span the globe, coming from the Crimea and the Spanish-American war in the 19th century, through Chile during Pinochet’s rule right up to the Gulf War and even the current war on terrorism.  The photography and quality of reproduction is second to none, this is a large, high quality reference book, effectively the first encyclopedia of trench art.
Trench Art: Materials and Memories of War
By Nicholas J Saunders, 2003 (Berg)
This is Nicholas’s second published book on trench art. His first was simply called ‘Trench Art’ and was originally published by Pen & Sword in 2001. This second book covers everything in the first book, but in far more depth, assisted greatly by a plethora of personal accounts that have been accumulated by the author since the first book was published. It is this personal insight that brings the whole subject to life, highlighting the emotions and heartbreaking trauma that are instilled in every piece. The book is very informative, utterly comprehensive and eminently readable. The historical references and an excellent collection of contemporary photographs of trench art exhibitions and manufacture make this book unmissable for collectors of trench art, but also valuable for those interested in social history of the first half of the twentieth century, decades dominated by the two World Wars.
Artisanat de Tranchee & Briquets de Poilu
By Patrice Warin, 2001 (YSEC)
This is the first of Patrice's books.  These are all written in French, but there are hundreds of high quality photographs of trench art and related items from his incredible collection.  This volume focuses on trench lighters and related items, but also covers the wider scope of trench art.
Artisanat de Tranchee Tome 2
By Patrice Warin, 2005 (YSEC)
This is the second of Patrice's books.  This volume cover the wide scope of trench art, again with hundreds of high quality colour images of his collection.
Les Objets du Tabac de la Grande Guerre
By Patrice Warin, 2009 (YSEC)
This is the latest of Patrice's books.  This volume focuses on smoking-related objects, trench lighters, ashtrays, tobacco containers etc, but again also covers the wider scope of trench art.
De Horreur a l'Art
By Nicole Durand, 2006 (SEUIL)
This book is in French, however, as with Patrice's books, contains hundreds of great photos of the whole range of trench art, making it worthwhile even if you do not speak French.
Guerra Nella Testa
Various authors, 1998 (LINT)
This book was produced by the Musei Provinciali Di Gorizia, at Borgo Castello in Italy, for an exhibition on trench art in 1998. Again, excellent photos of the exhibits make up for the book being in Italian!
Trench Art - The Stories Behind the Talismans By Judy Waugh, 2015 (Vivid Publishing) This book focuses on those 'lucky charms' and hand-made ID tags that soldiers made, providing their name and service number.  Judy has researched each of almost 60 individuals who made these talismans, from Australia, New Zealand and across the UK, with this book providing photographs of the items then the family histories of the men concerned, with photos, letters and other unique artifacts related to them.

La Seconda Vita By Giacomo Molon & Giovanni Dalle Fusine, 2018 This book, privately published, is in Italian, but as with the other foreign language examples above, is well worth the small purchase price simply for the images contained therein.  Trench art from the Italian front has its own flavour and some of the artisans, in particular that of Erminio Fabris of Gorizia are quite exceptional.