How and why

A favorite book in my early years of collecting is The How and Why Wonder Book of Stamps written by Robert Bateman and illustrated by Charles Pickard.

It is published by Transworld Publishers of London.

A lot of questions are answered in the following chapters:

The Purpose of Postage
How Stamps are Made
Stamp Collecting
Famous Stamps and their Stories
How to Build Your Collection

Highly recommended for the beginner collector!