A full-colour directory of the world's greatest stamps, including photographs over 3000 stamps from more than 200 countries
Introducing Stamps and Philately 6
A Guide to Collecting Stamps 8
What are Stamps? 10
The Origins of Postal Services 10
Birth of the Adhesive Postage Stamp 12
The Parts of a Stamp 14
Stamps for Everyday Use 16
Sheets, Coils, Booklets and Stationery 18
Commemorative and Special Issues 20
Airmails and Special Service Stamps 22
How to Collect Stamps 24
Starting a Collection 24
Tools and Techniques 26
Housing a Collection 28
Mounting Stamps for Display 30
Advanced Display Techniques 32
Collecting by Country 34
Introducing Thematics 36
Purpose-of-Issue Collecting 38
Choosing Themes and Telling Stories 40
Collecting Postal History 42
Local Philately 44
Collecting Sea Mail 46
Collecting Railway Mail 48
Collecting Wartime Mail 50
Collecting Airmail 52
Cinderella Philately 54
Social Philately 56
Forgeries, Fantasies and Postal Fraud 58
First Day Covers and Special Postmarks 60
Poster Stamps 62
Charity Seals and Labels 64
Fiscal Stamps and Special Service Labels 66
Local Stamps and Private Posts 68
Essays, Artwork and Proofs 70
Flaws and Marginal Markings 72
A Global Hobby 74
Organized Philately 76
Exhibiting Stamps 78
Buying and Selling Stamps 80
Philately Online 82
Useful Services and Addresses 84
The World Directory of Stamps 86
America 88
Canada 88
United States Definitives 90
United States Commemorative and Special Issues 92
United States Possessions and Territories 94
United States Trust Territories in the Pacific 96
North American Indians in Stamps 98
Bahamas, Bermuda and West Indies 100
Cuba, Hispaniola and Jamaica 102
British West Indies 104
Mexico 106
Central America 108
Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela 110
Brazil and Guyana 112
Bolivia, Chile and Peru 114
Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay 116
South Atlantic Islands 118
Europe 120
Western Scandinavia 120
Eastern Scandinavia 122
Vikings in Stamps 124
British Isles 126
British Regional Issues 128
British Offshore Islands 130
British European Territories 132
The Benelux Countries 134
Switzerland 136
German States 138
German Reich 140
Postwar Germany 142
Austria and Hungary 144
Czechoslovakia 146
Poland 148
Baltic States 150
Russia 152
Commonwealth of Independent States 154
Albania 156
Bulgaria and Romania 158
Former Yugoslavia 160
Yugoslavia: Division, Reconstruction and Civil War 162
Greece 164
Turkey 166
Italy 168
France 170
Iberian Peninsula 172
Africa 174
Spanish Africa 174
North Africa 176
Egypt and Sudan 178
Art and Architecture of the Pharaohs in Stamps 180
French West Africa 182
French Equatorial Africa 184
The Horn of Africa 186
East Africa 188
Central Africa 190
West Africa 192
Portuguese Africa 194
Southern Africa 196
South Africa and Namibia 198
Asia 200
Lebanon, Iraq and Syria 200
Middle East 202
Arabia 204
Gulf States 206
Afghanistan and Iran 208
Bangladesh, Pakistan and Burma 210
India 212
Indian States 214
Indian Ocean 216
Indochina 218
China 220
Lunar New Year 222
Chinese Territories 224
Korea 226
Japan 228
Indonesia and the Philippines 230
South-East Asia 232
Australasia 234
Two Hundred Years in Stamps 236
Australian External Territories 238
New Zealand 240
PNG, Nauru and Vanuatu 242
Fiji, Kiribati and Tuvalu 244
French Pacific Islands 246
New Zealand Dependencies 248
Inscriptions 250
Glossary 251
Index 254
Overview
A full-colour directory of the world's greatest stamps, including photographs over 3000 stamps from more than 200 countries