Monday, October 2, 2017

Focus on Forgeries

Linn's Focus on Forgeries: A Guide to Forgeries of Common Stamps was published in 1993 by Linn's Stamp News.

This useful book by Varro E. Tyler lists 150 stamp forgeries from A to W, side by side with the genuine ones, and compares both.

The introduction states in part that "This compilation of 150 Focus on Forgeries features that originally appeared on a fortnightly basis in Linn's Stamp News is published at the request of many stamp collectors."

Illustrations are in black and white.

Sunday, October 1, 2017

Philatelic Forgers

This revised edition of the Philatelic Forgers: Their Lives and Works was published by Linn's Stamp News in 1991.

I counted 150 forgers listed in this entertaining book by Varro E. Tyler.

The book is illustrated with black and white pictures of some of the forgers and some stamp and other philatelic forgeries.

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Guide to Stamp Collecting of the World

"Guide to Stamp Collecting of the World" was written by Jiri Novacek of Czechoslovakia and translated by Simon Pellar.

This edition was published in 1992 by the Promotional Reprint Company of London.

The chapters/sections are as follows:

What is Philately?
Stamps and Their Origin, Manufacture and Varieties
Stamps as Visiting Cards
Postcards
Envelopes
Aerograms and Other Postal Stationery
Non-Postal Marks and Labels
First-Day Covers and Sheets
Essay
Cartes Maximum
Entires
World Classics
Stamp Talk
Ferryboat Posts, Lake Posts, River Posts, Mail Packets, Posted on Board (Paquebot), Pigeon Post Letters, Balloon Post Letters, Zeppelin Letters, Arctic and Antarctic Letters, Early Airmail Letters, First Flights, Helicopter and Rocket Letters, Wreck Letters, Dog Team Letters, Pony Express, Mailcoach Letters, Wandering Letters, Hotel Posts, Postal Wars, Inflation Letters, Letters from Concentration Camps, Electronic Letters, Space Letters
A Perfect Stamp
Forgeries: A Great Headache
Famous Collectors
The Arrangement of a Collection
Prices of Stamps and Other Philatelic Material
Preparation of Stamps
Inspection and Classification of Philatelic Material
Albums
Major Philatelic Organizations
Place-Names Index

Interesting book from a European point of view!

Saturday, September 2, 2017

How to Identify Stamps

Another title in the Stanley Gibbons Stamp Collecting Series is "How To Identify Stamps" compiled by James Watson.

It was first published  in 1983, and this is the third edition of 1994.

The contents are as follows:

Introduction
Key Inscriptions
Using the Catalogue
The Normal Alphabet
     A. Country Names - Europe
     B. Country Names - Rest of the World
     C. Subordinate Inscriptions - Whole World
     D. Abbreviations on Stamps - Whole World
Other Alphabets and Scripts
     A. The Cyrillic Group
     B. The Greek Alphabet
     C. Indian Native States
     D. Far East Scripts
     E. Scripts Various
     F. 'No-name' Stamps

Another useful how-to publication!

Friday, September 1, 2017

How to Start

"Stamp Collecting How To Start" by James Watson (revised by John Holman) is one of the titles in the Stanley Gibbons Stamp Collecting Series.

This was first published in 1983, and this particular edition is the second edition of 1995.

The contents are as follows:

Introduction
Your First Stamps
One-Country Style
Many Kinds of Stamps
The Stamp Collector's Bible
The Collector's Tool-box
Your Album Choice
Arranging Your Stamps
Branching Out
Stamp Collector's Glossary
Useful Addresses

Overall a good how-to publication!