Philatelic eBooks
Each week, new and exciting resources are being added to the web. This sampling of a few of our favorite eBooks is the beginning of a project to bring them all together for you in one handy place.
Mekeel’s Complete Standard Catalogue of the Postage Stamps of the World – Published by C.H. Mekeel Stamp and Publishing Company in 1895. It lists dates of issue and descriptions for all postage stamps issued by governments around the world. Also shows the prices each stamp was sold for. 659 pages. http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433020835561;view=1up;seq=7
A Hand Catalogue of Postage Stamps for the Use of Collectors – Published in 1862, the introduction offers an early history of adhesive postage stamps by John Edward Gray, one of the first Englishmen to propose the idea. Also describes every stamp issued to that time. http://books.google.com/books?id=a5YDAAAAQAAJ
A Hand Catalogue of Postage Stamps for the Use of Collectors 2nd edition (1863) http://books.google.com/books?id=t4hdAAAAcAAJ
Catalogue of Postage Stamps, American and Foreign, and U. S. Revenue Stamps – a description of American and foreign stamps, including denominations and color. U.S. Revenues are also listed. Copyright 1863. http://books.google.com/books?id=XopdAAAAcAAJ
Postage Stamp Catalogue and Collector’s Guide – published in London in 1871, this 74 page book describes stamps, envelopes, unpaid letters, and newspaper stamps by their issue date. http://books.google.com/books/about/Postage_Stamp_Catalogue_and_Collector_s.html?id=2WJMAAAAYAAJ
The Commemorative Stamps of the World – written by James H. Lyons of the New England Stamp Company. This book describes and illustrates commemorative issues until 1914 from U.S. and foreign. http://books.google.com/books?id=FJQZAAAAYAAJ
History of the postage stamps of the United States of America – by John Kerr Tiffany, president of the American Philatelic Association in 1887. It contains a narrative that begins with postmasters’ provisional stamps and includes the first government-issued stamps. http://books.google.com/books?id=623EAOaVCucC or https://archive.org/stream/historypostages00tiffgoog#page/n12/mode/2up
The Postage Stamps of the United States – this 1902 book, produced by Scott Stamp and Coin Company, describes Postmasters’ stamps, Government issues (1847-1901), carriers’ stamps, reprints, officials, and newspaper and periodical stamps. http://books.google.com/books?id=LI_tAAAAMAAJ
The Stamp Collector: A Guide to the World’s Postage Stamps by Stanley Currie Johnson. This book, published in 1920, gives advice on collecting and organizing stamps. It also has a history of postage stamps, glossaries of philatelic terms and printing terms. There are chapters on stamp issues around the world and cautions against forgeries. http://books.google.com/books?id=08kpAAAAYAAJ
The Stamp Collector’s Handbook – Edward L. Pemberton, 1874. This illustrated guide lists each country alphabetically and the stamps by issue dates. http://books.google.com/books?id=Z1MZAAAAYAAJ
The Stamp Collector by W. J. Hardy and E. D. Bacon (1898) Gives a history of stamps and collecting. It also has chapters discussing art on stamps, stamps with interesting stories, and famous collections. http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433020828897;view=1up;seq=9
Chats on Postage Stamps by Melville, Frederick John (1911) Covers the history of postal services and stamps, tips for collectors, and a glossary of philatelic terms. It also talks about famous collections and forgeries. https://archive.org/details/chatsonpostagest00melvrich
The Wonderland of Stamps by William Dwight Burroughs (1910) Written for children, this book shows that many things can be discovered by collecting postage stamps. It discusses U.S. history, foreign lands, animals, and famous rare stamps. http://books.google.com/books?id=d3sqAAAAYAAJ
The Philatelic Index by Long, William A. R. Jex (1906) Contains an alphabetical list of articles from some of the best known philatelic magazines in the English language up to the end of 1904. https://archive.org/stream/philatelicindexb00long#page/n3/mode/2up