Cirrus@Austlit

Salt was produced by the Army Education Service during the Second World War and distributed free to Australian, British and American service personnel. To keep service personnel well-informed and maintain a high morale, Salt published articles on a variety of subjects, including notable people, science, current affairs, military training and historical military campaigns. Contributions were also sought from readers. The Letters-to-the-Editor section supported many debates on social issues at home and abroad. In addition, many readers also contributed original prose and poems.

The magazine contained a 'Guest Author' series in which the works of many well-known writers were printed. Contemporary Australian writers included Alan Marshall, Xavier Herbert, Vance Palmer and Kylie Tennant (qq.v.). But the work of a diverse collection of international writers also appeared, including Mark Twain, William Hazlitt, Leo Tolstoy, Langston Hughes, Ernest Hemingway and Guy de Maupassant. The books of authors appearing in Salt were available in the Army Education Service Box Libraries. Cartoons from artists such as Amby Dyson and Vane Lindesay appeared in Salt, exhibiting a sense of humour similar to the magazine's First World War predecessor, Aussie.

By 1944 around 185,000 copies of Salt were being distributed. But the magazine's role became redundant at the completion of hostilities. It ceased operation in 1946.