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Headline, August 7, 2006
New book by Rodney Juell and Steven
Rod may be best book on U.S. stamps in over 50 years!
Wow. That’s almost the only thing one can say when
first picking up a copy of The Encyclopedia
of United States Stamps and Stamp Collecting. Jam packed
with luscious color photographs, printed on high quality coated stock
and very professionally bound, the tome probably weighs about 19 pounds.
(Well, at least it sort of feels like it weighs that much. It’s a heavy
book with weighty and delightfully pertinent content. Three pounds would
be more like it, I suppose.)
As a longtime fan of perky, erudite author and Nebraskan cum New
Jerseyite Steven Rod, this writer was anxious for many months before
this work was finally unveiled at the U.S. Stamp Society booth at the
giant Washington 2006 international show on May 27th. Over the years, we
philatelists have waited with bated breath for many good books to
finally reach print. Many of them don’t live up to their billings, but
this one is a dramatic exception.
Let’s put it this way and settle things right up front: In our
estimation, the Encyclopedia of United States Stamps and Stamp
Collecting is one of the most important “must have” philatelic books
ever published. When it comes to the stamps of the country we most love,
it has it all. That’s no understatement.
Some of American philately’s most enchanting stamps are given some
wonderful treatment in the book. If one wishes to find out some new
facts about things like the 1918 Inverted Jenny airmail stamp or even
the controversial Grinnell Missionaries from Hawaii, one will not only
find excellent text on the subjects, but also wonderful illustrations.
One also will find the obscure like a 10-cent Florida documentary stamp
(beautiful!) on a stock certificate. Or how about some really neat
supposedly cheap stuff like perfins and precancels. The full coverage is
here.
The book is available via check, Visa or MasterCard at $30.00 plus $5.00
shipping from literature dealer James E. Lee, P.O. Box 36, Cary IL
30013. Phone 847-462-9130 or email at
jim@jameslee.com
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