Early Routing of the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company 1842-1879. By Phil J. Kenton and Harry G. Parsons. 495 pages hardbound, 83 illustration and 12 maps.
Published by the Postal History Society. A book full of information for those wishing to obtain information on the various routes of the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company in the mid- 19th century. Much data was obtained from local newspapers and this was supplemented from the logs of the Royal Navy Receiving Ships based in Jamaica. Other data included covers sailing dates, shipwrecks, delays due to fires, engine failures, storms and quarantine restrictions following lever outbreaks. There are extracts from ship logs and instructions issued to British Consuls, plus many illustrations of covers carried on various routes.
Tuva 2000 Stamp Catalogue. By Anders Backrnan. Published by SilverDalen Stamps, Taby, Sweden. This slim 16-page catalogue lists the stamps issued by Tuva in the 1930's which were so popular with school children, due to their unusual shapes and illustration. Issues ceased in 1943 and reappeared again in1994 but were banned for postal use by the Russian authorities.
Conservation, Restoration and Philatelic Chemistry (Be awakened my F.I.P.) By Prof V.K. Gupta. Published in 1998 by the author then re-released in 2000. This book reviews the conditions often found at International and National exhibitions, where important collections are frequently handled or stored in conditions which are not satisfactory. This can easily result in damage or destruction of near unique items of postal history, which require special care if they are to survive in the coming decades. The author makes a strong appeal to FIP (International Federation of Philately) to issue a policy statement which recognises restoration methods that are not harmful to philately. There are chapters on the causes of stamp deterioration, adverse climatic condition, biological agents of destruction, storage handling and safety. Also on techniques of conservation and do-it-yourself experiments, plus stain reduction. The appendix lists a glossary of accessories, equipment and tools, sources of information and terms.
Taxation of the Printed Word - The introduction of Stamp Duty on Almanacs and Newspapers 1711 and 1712. By H. Dagnall. Published by the Author. Contains the Acts of 1711 and 1712 and information on a little known individual, James Littlebody who played an interesting part in the events leading up to the inclusion of certain clauses in the Acts and their implementation.
These include proposals for taxing the Printed Word, Almanac Stamps, Playing Card Duty and the taxing of Newspapers.
Graf Zeppelin to the Balkans. By John Duggan. Zeppelpost Handbook No 5. Published by Zeppelin Study Group. 44 pages plus card cover. This informative, well illustrated pocket size book gives considerable information about Graf Zeppelin Flight no.42
"The Balkan Flight" which took place from 15th to 17th October 1929, departing from Friedrichshafen. The route taken passed over Austria, Hungary, Jugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania and Czechoslovakia and Germany, returning to Friedrichshafen. The German Reichspost allowed a sub-post office to be opened on board the Zeppelin staffed by specially designated aircrew. There was an official mail drop at Bukarest plus 10 semi-official mail drops, and 7 unofficial mail drops en route. Many examples of flown mail are illustrated.
BOOKS ADDED February - March 2000
DNK Postage Stamp Catalogue 69th edition. Published 1 December 1999. Covers the Old German States, German Empire from 1923, the Third Reich (1933 - 1945), Berlin, Soviet Occupied Zone, DDR and West Germany. The publishers report a quiet market generally, but considerable increases in prices for some years.
The Airmails of Trinidad & Tobago. By Ron Wike, published by BWISC Publications. A4 200 pages hardbound. An in-depth study of the airmails of Trinidad & Tobago, from the earliest days right up to the Concorde era. There are many photographs, some of which have never previously been published. The first flight covers are reproduced in colour in many instances.
A Complete Overview of Japanese Occupation Stamps of South-East Asia. By Masayoshi Tsuchiga, published by The Japan Philatelic Society Tokyo. The very complicated story of the postage stamps and their use in the area in South East Asia which was occupied by the Japanese Army or the Japanese Navy during the Second World War, 1942 - 1945. Comprises
Part I - Hong Kong, Burma, Malaya and the North Borneo (British) territories. (pp.112)
Part II - Dutch East Indies and the Philippine Islands. (pp.104)
Both volumes treat in detail the stamps issued, the circumstances of them being issued, together with their dates, and their manner of use, including rates of postage. has been verified from examination of others' collections. The fakes and forgeries of the hand-stamps, censor marks and cancellations are explained illustrating the difference between them.These descriptions are fully illustrated throughout the text, and are preceded in each volume by four pages of coloured illustrations, referred to by the publisher as 'frontispieces', so that there are in all some 400 items illustrated.
In addition, there are six Appendices, including the full list of the Japanese Post Offices, the Commemorative slogans and cancellations, the un-overprinted Showa series, a calendar of the period and a guide to the Japanese characters used in the cancellations. And Maps - inside, at the front, at the back, in both Japanese and English!
The two volumes are in Japanese but accompanying them is a third part comprising a wholly English edition, complete with its own Table of Contents and Appendices, but without the illustrations. One needs to consult two volumes at a time, one for the text and the other for the illustrations, but after a minute or two this presents no problem.
The Official Labels of Australia. The second edition of this work by Eric J Frazer and Robin C Occleshaw provides much new information in an area of philatelic knowledge which has for too long been ignored. A vast amount of information recorded on the 237 pages. For any collector interested in the various services provided by the Post Office and the forms and labels used to identify them, this volume is invaluable.
Taxation of the Printed Word. By H. Dagnall FRPSL. Published by the Author The introduction of stamp duty on Almanacs and Newspapers 1711 and 1712.
Sorvth. By Ron Wood with Vijay Meher. Published by the Indian Study Circle for Philately. A handbook of Indian Philately No.3 (second series).
The Post of Haslemere (Surrey) By Peter Moorey, published by the Author.
Postage Rates of Croatia and Srem By Geoffrey Barling, published by the Author.
BOOKS ADDED December 1999 - January 2000
Barred Numeral Cancellations of London. By John Parmenter Published by The British Philatelic Trust. 392 pages, hardback.. An illustrated catalogue of the barred numeral cancellations of London from 1840 to 1900. Within 12 miles of London, provincial numbers are listed in a separate classified section. There are also two complete comprehensive indexes of all the offices that were issued with their own numeral cancellations and an index of the town office cancellations for each postal district.
The Use of the 1894 Coded Time System in British Post Offices. By John A. E. Moy. Published by the Author in conjunction with the British Postmark Society. 140 pages, A4 format, plastic spiral bound. A fascinating treatise packed full of information of particular interest to students of early GB Postal History. Covers the trials of the system in 4 Iarge cities and then deals with usage in English provincial offices, plus Welsh, Scottish, Irish and London offices. A number of pages deal with the usage of coded time systems in overseas offices. Includes 70 pages of invaluable appendices.
WWF Stamp List published and compiled by G.P.Doggett, 9 Wheelright Mews, Neath Hill, Milton Keynes, MK14 6HU. 104 pages, card cover, comb bound. Stamps depicting endangered wildlife are a popular thematic subject and many of these carry the familiar Panda logo of the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature). These WWF stamps have been issued since 1969 and there are now more than 1500 stamps from over 200 countries. The 6th edition of the List includes issues up to August 1999. Additional information includes extras added to the stamps issued such as imperfs., overprints, and miniature sheets.
Affordable Foreign Errors on Postage Stamps of the World By Paul Greenlaw in collaboration with Martin Sellinger. Published by Krause Publications 700 East State Street, LOLA, WI 54990-0001,USA. 224 pages, soft cover, over 500 illustrations, including some in colour. Describes some of the most interesting, collectible and affordable errors from around the world. More than 5000 stamps are cited and priced at $200 or less.
The British Occupation of the Former Italian Colonies Study Paper No.4 - Civil Censorship 1942 to 1947 . By Alan Tregurtha. Published by GB Overprint Society 27 pages. This booklet provides a listing of recorded civilian postal censorship tapes and handstamps used during the British Occupation of former Italian Colonies during 1941-3. It covers Eritrea, Somali, Italian Tripolitania, Cyrenica and also the Dodecanese Islands (Aegean Sea) in 1945. Many illustrations, some in colour.
Sarawak: The Rajah's Officers, 1841-1946. By Wm. Batty-Smith MBE, FRPSL. 104 pages plus map. Card covers. This book lists the Sarawak Government Officers who served under the three Rajahs. Their names are in alphabetical order for easy reference, and their careers are set out chronologically, and in complete detail, together with dates, including their leave. It makes it so easy to find out "who was doing what when". It can be fascinating to follow an officer from one Station to another or from one Department to another in his career until his retirement. Prior to the start of the listings on page 25, the Introduction sets out a clear description of the Rajah's method of government, followed by an explanation of the organisation of the Civil Service, of each Division and of each Government Department, all with names and their dates, and then a description of the lives of the three Rajahs individually, together with their portraits