Hello, all.
I will stick with my first thought for the EUSC Meeting, that begins at 11:00 AM ebay-time, philatelic reference books, catalogs, monographs, pamphlets, journals, etc.

What material do you find most useful and what is the availability of the material i.e. scarce, out of print, small printing, etc.?
Where is the best place to purchase material i.e., online auctions, traditional auctions, websites or off-the-shelf?
Is cost a factor in not having a desired reference?
Have you been disappointed in any material you bought that was recommended to you or you bought because of a good review?

This discussion can also include the APS thread that T. Hines brought up.

Also, any questions on what is a good reference for a specific area will certainly be entertained. Between all the members here, there is a wealth of knowledge.
Take advantage of it.

For the Stamp Club meeting. I will be working at that time and probably not be able to join in.

I do want to make a plug for my favorite monthly stamp magazines. I enjoy getting all of the rest, some are very academic and hold a wealth of knowledge. My favorite, that I read and reread and check through everything over the month until the next is Gibbons Stamp Monthly. They always have very nice articles about world Philatelics, not just Commonwealth, go into some depth, and have nice identifiable illustrations of the stamps in question. Obviously, it is loaded with advertisements and SG stuff, but I actually like that stuff too.I always like Meekels, Linn's, Scott Stamp Monthly, Stamp Collector, etc. - but I look forward to SGM each time. That is all I will say, and will leave the board alone for a while now.

The EUSC is called to order.
For topic, please look at my post of 07:30:33. If i try to repeat it, I'm sure i will goof up the HTML somehow.:)

Cableguy - Have you never heard of cut and paste? :O)

K.E.

EUSC Meeting Topic philatelic reference books, catalogs, monographs, pamphlets, journals, etc.
What material do you find most useful and what is the availability of the material i.e. scarce, out of print, small printing, etc.? Where is the best place to purchase material i.e., online auctions, traditional auctions, websites or off-the-shelf? Is cost a factor in not having a desired reference? Have you been disappointed in any material you bought that was recommended to you or you bought because of a good review?

One of my favorite publications is "The Chronicle", published by the US Philatelic Classics Society. For me it's a perfect fit, as the articles are about 19th-Century US postal history.
I like reading the APS journal, but, the articles are usually pretty far from my interest to be of any philatelic use.
I have many books on the subject of classic US postal history, and though some don't get used much, there is that single time I look something up that more than pays for the price of the book.

knuden..I can cut-and-paste a URL, but am ignorant of (among other things) the procedure to cut a message from the board.

Philatelic resources (I guess I'll start things off...)
I tend to prefer things in print. As a person who works on the computer all the time, I like my hobby time AWAY from the computer.
Nonetheless, there are getting to be a large number of wonderful sites that serve as online references. In many of these cases, I print out pages for hardcopy reference.
Some I have found very useful:
Richard Frajola's Colorado Postal History
Michel's Farley Exhibit
Kevin Baker's CSA forgeries
Hawaii Post Office in Paradise
Matt Liebson's Postmark Primer
Geoff Dutton's 1902 US Issue site
1847usa's Wash/Frankline worksheet
And, of course, Bill Claghorn's forgery ID site, Sheryll's New Hebrides site, Knud-Erik's Sudetenland, Mitchell's collection....
I can not list them all. And, many I just listed focus on the US - because I know that better than others.

Guess I'm saying we should encourage online exhibits and authors as a way to educate and share. I still like the printed versions - but maybe some of the better sites can lead to a paper version at a later point?
Rob

I would be curious to hear recommendations for BEST printed or online resources for the following:

• Japan classic material & postal history
• same for China
• and for Newfoundland
• and for Brazil
• Swiss
• GB postal history

That was fun. :)

My favorite literature is opening a book I haven't looked at in years and finding some loose stamps I placed there for reference and forgot about, it happened to me yesterday and they were listed on Ebay straight away,

D2

A VERY GOOD DAY To ALL !!

If anyone is ever contemplating collecting early Spain, there is a 3-volume set of referencde books called Guia del Colleccionista de Sellos de Correos de España by Nicolau Tort. It deals, in depth, with the issues of 1850-1900. And when I say "in depth", I mean it!

HERE is a sample page from volume I. This particular page is the first page for the section that deals with the issues of 1853. In this section, you can find descriptions and pictures, of over 200 separate plate defects and varieties for the common 6 cuartos of 1853 alone! You can also successfully plate all the 1850 issues, as well as some of the Carlist issues, using this 3-volume set. Unfortunately, I am still short vol. II, so I cannot comment on all the good stuff that I'm probably missing out on. One day though, I will find it. And at $60-75 per volume, they're not exactly cheap.

-RB-

Must go to work now, looking forward to reading all the literature postings when I get home.

I use following catalogues:

For my Russian Advertising and Propaganda Postal cards I use:

ìàðêèðîâàííûå ïî÷òîâûå êàðòî÷êè ñññð (Marked Postal Stationaries in USSR) for my Russian Advertising and Propaganda Postal cards.

For Czechoslovakia I use:

Monografie Ceskoslovenskych Znamek 1 - 2 -  3 - 4 - 5 - 13 & 14

Specializovana Prirucka Pro Sberatele Ceskoslovenskych Postovnich Znamek a Celin. (SCSF) Stamps and Postal Stationaries.

Specializovany katalog 1998 (POFIS) Czech stamps.

Katalog Ceskoslovensko, Cr, Sr (TROJAN) Czech stamps.

Katalog Cz. Letecka posta 1918 - 1939 (TROJAN) Czech Air Mail (First Flight a.o.)

Katalog Ceskoslovenske Celini 1. Dil (POFIS) Postal Stationaries.

Katalog Privatni Pritisky na Celinach (TROJAN) Private Postal Stionaries.

Katalog Protektorat, Slovensky Stat. (TROJAN) Bohemia & Moravia, Slovakia and Sudetenland.

Revolutionary Stamps and Overprints 1944/1945. Local issues. (Juan Santaeugenia Grau)

For Sudetenland I use:

Die Not- und Befreiungsstempel in den Sudetendeutschen Gebieten 1938/39

Die Postwertzeichen des Sudetenlandes.

For Denmark I use:

Facit (stamps)

AFA  Danmark (stamps)

AFA Specialkatalog 1987-88, 1995 & 2002. (Stamps specialized)

DAKA (stamps)

Michel  (stamps)

Danske Breve 1851 - 1979 ( AFA) Danish covers

Danmarks Helsager (Skilling) Postal Stationaries.

For my Latvia I use:

The Stamps of Latvia. (Stereo Stamps, Latvia)

Latvia Map Stamps (John Barefoot) (stamps)

Michel.

For USA I use:

Specialized Catalogue of US stamps (Scott)

For Iceland I use:

AFA Skandinavien. (stamps)

Islensk Frimerki (Isafoldarprentsmidja Hf, Reykjavik) (stamps)

Island Postal set i perioden 1939-1945. (Forlaget 5F) (censored covers and cards)

For my Greenland I use:

AFA Danmark (stamps)

Facit (stamps)

Greenland, Specialcatalogue Classic Greenland. (Torben Hjørne) (stamps and covers)

For the rest of the world I use:

Michel

Scott

Stanley Gibbons

Yvert.

K.E.

ìàðêèðîâàííûå ïî÷òîâûå êàðòî÷êè ñññð (Sorry)

K.E.

DUH!!

Knud-Erik I can add a couple to your list:

For my Argentina Collection I use:
Kneitchel catalog (best is 1958, next is 1974)
Sellos Postales Republica Argentina 1998
A handful of small specialty titles... Which I don't have handy here at work.

Hello Board:
Down from the balcony with my library of Brazil References:

Main catalog:
- RHM (Meyer) - a Portuguese language catalog - definitely the best general catalog

Specialized catalogs:
- Forgeries: Falsificaoes & Fraudacoes na Filatelia Brasileira by Studart (in Portuguese)
- Postal Stationary: Higgins & Gage World Postal Stationary Catalog, Section 2
- Revenues: Brazil Revenues by Barata and Catalog Fiscal by A. Forbin
- Airmails: Sanabria
- Telegraph stamps: Hiscock's Catalog

Really Specialized:
- Southern Cross Issue: Cruzeiro do Sul by Sergio Laux
- Scott #109: Alegoria da Republica "O Tintureiro" by Bezerra & Ribeiro
- plus dozens of copies of articles from various sources including back issues of The Brazil Philatelic Associations quarterly magazine "Bull's-eye"

Also rans:
Scott
Minkus
Michel
Stanley Gibbons
Yvert et Tellier

And of course a good Portuguese-English Dictionary!

Hope this helps!

JFR

Hi all! Repost from the May meeting:

Verily, I list the following Holy Books for New Hebrides! (respectful pause)

First is the Old Testament - "Hals, N. & Collas, P. The New Hebrides - Their Postal History and Postage Stamps, Collectors Club Inc., New York, 1967".
Then there is the New Testament - "Phillips, P., Crompton, J., Holland, W. New Hebrides Cancellation Study 1892 - 1980, Pacific Islands Study Circle of Great Britain, 1995".
Pious student will also refer to - "New Hebrides Official Cachets Officiels 1908 - 1980, Bill Holland, Pacific Islands Study Circle, 2000" when preparing their cover descriptions.

It is important also to read of the journals that spread the good word.

• "Pacifica", put out four times a year by the Pacific Island Study Circle (PISC), often contains appropriate devotions.
• "The Informer", from the Society of Australasian Specialists/Oceania (SAS/O) has left the path of righteousness in recent years, but has now been welcomed back into the fold.

Finally, for those for whom New Hebrides is life itself, the Virtual Stamp Album New Hebrides gives daily comfort and sustenance.

Reverently submitted by
S2 (disciple #3)

Addendum:

I often refer to my collection of scans, auction catalogues and copies of the exhibits of colleagues when researching a particular cover. It is interesting to find covers to the same addressee or in the same hand. The book "Hébridais" by Patrick O'reilly gives the history of nearly all the settlers who lived there up to the 1950's. Combine this information with that on the covers, and you get a snapshot of life in the New Hebrides at the time. Some of these stories are written up on the New Hebrides website (see link below).

The most valuable source of information I have found in the last 2 years is inside people's heads. The internet has made possible quick communication between collectors. It is this that has made the New Hebrides website the detailed reference site that it is today, with over 10 collectors pooling their knowdedge and collections.

S2

Okay books acquired since last meeting of this nature.

British Letter Mail to Overseas Destinations 1840-1875 by Jane & MIchael Moubray.
Both fascinating reading (I read it from cover to cover) and full of useful information, including 143 pages of rate tables to every country within the time constraints of the title.

The Maritime Postal History of the British Isles by Alan Robertson
Three huge volumes on glossy paper detailing everything that you wanted to know about the subject at the time it was written. Even contains a FDC stuck to one page. Profusely illustrated. It will takes years to read.

The postal cancellations of London by H.C. Westley
An oldie but a goodie. Not as detailed as Dubus, but readable.

Marques de Passage & Supplement by James Van der Linden
Incomplete, but still the most comprehensive listing of postal markings. A couple of pages of German and french intro but relatively easy to understand and, again, profusely illustrated.

Texas: The Drama of it's Postal Past by Alex L. ter Braake.
Fascinating reading about Texan postal system from Spanish Colony to Pancho Villa border conflicts

For Rob
Yang's Postage Stamp Catalogue of the People's Republic of China by N.C. Yang
Only covers 1949 to present, but every stamp issued is illustrated in color.

The Michael D. Rubin Collection of Great Britain & British Commonwealth, Bennett Auction Catalog
Color illustrations of stamps we can dream about adding to collection.

Ooops, forgot a couple because they are not sitting in front of me.

This one because I only just ordered it, though it has received very good reviews both in the press and on chat boards:
The Work of Jean de Sperati II by Robson Lowe and Carl Walske.

And a certain publication on Volcanoes on Stamps which is being pre-advertised somewhere near the top of this website and may be ready to go by the end of next week.

Most collectors of New Hebrides will also accumulate all sorts of articles and journals, from Australian, British and French sources.

Two as yet under-utilised sources (by me) of specialist literature are the National Library and the Pacific Islands Manuscript Bureau (PAMBU). Both of these are a quarter of an hour's drive away.

S2

books? The ones I find myself referring to every single day are the Wawrukiewicz and Beecher books covering Domestic and International postal rates. It's pretty much impossible to do US postal history (at least post 1870s) without them.

Any literature suggestions for a beginning collector of German inflation covers? The only literature I have so far is the German - English Philatelic Dictionary published by the German Philatelic Society. Not speaking or reading German will probably limit my choices. Does the Michel catalog value stamps on cover?

Any suggestions, even non-philatelic (history) related about this time period appreciated. Thanks. Ken

One of the leading philatelic books of all kinds is www.pbbooks.com which has an extensive on line catalog. The owner will not sell on eBay, and rarely discounts, but is totally reliable and HAS the stock.

books sellers I should have said....

List If you are a Sperati affectionado you may be interested that the latest book on Sperati has just been sent to the printers. Don't want to say more for fear of being commercial here. If you have any questions on BNA Sperati forgeries, I am very pleased to try to answer them. Ken Pugh

If anyone has forgotten, the results of the first(?) EUSC publications meeting which was compiled by Jimbo, are accessible via the Yellow boxes, somewhere below. #1 in box 3 if my memory serves me correctly.

Ken
Dispassionately stating a source of new printed material on a subject which is dear to many of the stamp board regulars is not really advertising. It is presenting information. A descripton of the publisher and possible time of publication would be kosher. Price and where to obtain it, might not. :-Þ

iomoon Thanks for your comments. The new Sperati book will be ready for distribution next week. It is being privately published by myself, and is the first of a new series featuring the forgeries of deThuin, Spiro, Oneglia, Senf, Fournier, Frodel, MacMaster, Nordin and others. I am also working on a revision of The Spud Papers, and would like to hear from anyone who has an accumulation of Spiro forgeries that would like to participate in gathering data on these interesting items. Every new perforation, shade, paper, or cancellation is important, and your collection may have some unrecorded Spiro forgeries. Ken Pugh

kmichael..... A good place to start on INFLA covers is of course the MICHEL Briefe-Katalog Deutschland which values stamps on cover. Next I would suggest THE POSTAGE RATES OF GERMANY 1906-1923 by Diana Manchester which is Inflation Study Group # 1 - American Handbook. You can contact her at vgourmet@cave.net. It details more of the little known rates that are not contained in the MICHEL Katalog. Ask her also about joining the ISG (Inflation Study Group - Germany Philatelic Society). Quarterly bulletins, auctions, etc.

Ken
I guess Reference Manual of BNA Fakes, Forgeries & Counterfeits by Kenneth W. Pugh Issued as a set of three ring binders, ov8 size, between 1977 and 1981, as 11 releases. Vol 1 & 2 binders, releases 1-5.
This might be you??

cwilliam Thank you very much! I have saved your information and will send off an email as soon as I get home from work. I know the Michel catalog is in German but I can probably get through that. Do you know if the material from the GPS is available in English?

Many thanks again. Ken

kmichael..... All of the material from the ISG-GPS is in English. Tell Diana I sent you. Charles L. Williams

One of the things I've been doing along the reference line is building up a collection of various auctions and on-line works. I've been downloading the site (or auction or whatever) then copying to a CDROM.

Only real negative is that you can't read a CD-ROM in the bathroom.... (grin)
John

acme ya, can't read in the bathroom, but you can print them out anytime you want and you don't have to worry if the site moves (or if you have online access or not!). On the other hand, you have to go check for updates....
Thanks all for comments on particular subject areas, appreciated.

In my opinion, this subject is a good one to repeat. After all, those new to the board may not know what they are looking at on the lists in the yellow boxes (for example) or may not even know to look there. And, each of us has ever changing interests and levels of knowledge. What I may not have been ready for last time, I might be ready for now. At the least, some of us who have neglected getting reference books for certain areas may now take the plunge and get those books! :)

Rob

Evening/morning/afternoon. My belated contribution to the meeting:

My Egypt reference suggestions haven't changed. They should be posted in the Yellow Post.

For Luxembourg, I have two new additions, only one of which I can find at the moment (I'll post the other one tomorrow). The other one is Eis Post/Les Postes et Telecommunications au Luxembourg by Frieseisen, Jungblut, Margue, Wietor, & Wolter, 1992) It's bilingual in French and German and is a nicely illustrated history of the postal service. I haven't had a chance to dig in deeply yet, but it looks like an interesting source.

I also have some general suggestions & comments about philatelic references.

1) If you have any intention of truly specializing in an area, buy the basic references even before you get beyond space filling. That way, you'll shorten the learning curve and will know what to look for beyond one copy of each issue.

If you see an important new reference book in your field buy it ASAP, even if you have to mortgage your house (just kidding--although with the prices of some books, you might have to). Philatelic books have fairly small printings. What's readily available now my be out of print next week. And an investment in a good library is worth every penny you spend an more. By the time you can afford stamps again, at least you'll know what you're doing.

3)In my experience, dealers who specialize in specific areas are good sources for finding literature.

4) and finally, for old and fragile items (especially ones that are fairly short), xerox, xerox, xerox. You can use the xerox without destroying the original. Or you could even resell the book.

Just my 5 milliemes worth.

Good night to all and to all sweet dreams of reference books galore, shelf space to hold them, and the stamps and covers to make it all worthwhile. Anne

I'm late but no matter, Swiss references (not listing catalogues) coming up.

rfaux - A recommended Swiss printed 9”x12” book I recently obtained is fantastic. "Swiss Letter Mail to Foreign Countries", by Richard Schäfer, 400+ pages. These are only two examples of the more than 200 color pages. The first to interest our Australian friends, the other because I have a cover from the same correspondense, but from an earlier rate period. The book has over 150 pages of rate tables.
This was purchased from Phil Banser at a very reasonable price.

Another book I use all the time is Andres & Emmenegger, the classic (my copy 1931) Swiss cancellation study. It was updated in the 1970’s to include cancels to 1908, but I haven’t been able to find one at the price I can afford.

Finally, I read from cover to cover every issue of the American Helvetia Philatelic Society journal TELL.

All in all I don’t have enough time to read everything I wish to, nor do I have the funds to purchase every book that would be of interest to me.

Roger

iomoon Yes, I am the author of Reference Manual pf BNA Fakes, Forgeries and Counterfeits (1977-1981) Unfortunately, the first series (1-11) is long out of print, so I am publishing a second series on BNA forgeries. The second series is in a larger page format with larger photographs. If you are interested please contact me at kpugh@shaw.ca

Great seeing all the postings about literature tonight. Some of the comprehensive reference collections people have make me look at my own pathetic shelf full and feel like a complete beginner. But I then realize that there isn't much specialized literature available for Spain, at least stateside. I'm almost to the point of having at least all the essential works I need to keep myself out of trouble.

-RB-

hello. father frost bite fingers. no weather collect stamp. chinggis horse keep chinggis warm. chinggis move yurt winter posision. thank you very much.

Morning/Afternoon/Evening. chinggis: Hope your hinges don't freeze.

Anne (where's the coffee?)