The Stamp Collector
A Guide to the World's Postage Stamps (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from The Stamp Collector: A Guide to the World's Postage Stamps<br><br>Stamp collecting was an unknown hobby to two generations ago, yet its present followers may be counted by hundreds of thousands. In no period of its existence has it been so popular as to-day, partly because the War led many people to seek solace from its pursuit and partly because the national outlook has grown more world-wide than heretofore.<br><br>In recent years, the collector has indulged in philately with more method and science than was his former wont so that now there is a demand for information and guidance greater than has ever been evinced before. To supply these needs has been our mission in writing the pages which follow.<br><br>But our scheme may be explained at greater length. First, we have endeavoured to state the merits of stamp collecting; then we have attempted to impart to our readers some of the enthusiasm which we, ourselves, possess for this Royal pastime and this has been followed by a full recital of the numerous pitfalls which beset philately and the philatelist. In this hobby of ours, there is so much that can be collected and so much that ought not to be collected that very definite guidance is necessary for those who are not practised hands. Such guidance, we believe, will be found herein.<br><br>About the Publisher<br><br>Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com<br><br>This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.