Excerpt from The Stamped Envelopes, Wrappers and Sheets of the United States The number of varieties in each series, arising from impressing the different values of similar design on a number of different papers, and the number of different designs of each value in succeeding series, has always been attractive to the collector of cut specimens, while the large number of sizes, the variety of shapes in the same size or similar ones, the color and quality and varying watermark and mode of gumming of the entire envelopes, has made their collection both interesting and puzzling to those who have studied them. The use of so large a quantity of paper, and the necessity of using more than one die of supposedly identical design, or knives of the same pattern, and other accidental variations in so large a manufacture, have produced numerous varieties which afford a field for research that seems well nigh inexhaustible. To attempt to catalogue every minute variety that has resulted from the combination of minute variations in the dies, the ever varying gradations in the shade of the impression and paper, the accidental differences in the characteristics of the paper, its hardness or softness, the position or defects in the water lines or watermark, must necessarily result in incompleteness on the one hand and confusion on the other, for each collector will, after all, decide for himself which of these minor varieties from recognized types are of sufficient interest to be added to his collection, as good fortune or patient search brings them under his notice. This introduction and the notes in this work will attempt to point out what are the important or intentional and typical varieties which alone will be numbered in the lists, and also the nature and character of the accidental or minor varieties which the collector of such varieties may expect to find. No collection, how ever large, that has been examined by the compilers has contained all the minor varieties that may be found in others, and the majority of collectors will be content with the collection of the varieties listed. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com 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.

Americans commonly recognize television, e-mail, and instant messaging as agents of pervasive cultural change. But many of us may not realize that what we now call snail mail was once just as revolutionary. As David M. Henkin argues in The Postal Age, a burgeoning postal network initiated major cultural shifts during the nineteenth century, laying the foundation for the interconnectedness that now defines our ever-evolving world of telecommunications. This fascinating history traces these shifts from their beginnings in the mid-1800s, when cheaper postage, mass literacy, and migration combined to make the long-established postal service a more integral and viable part of everyday life. With such dramatic events as the Civil War and the gold rush underscoring the importance and necessity of the post, a surprisingly broad range of Americans—male and female, black and white, native-born and immigrant—joined this postal network, regularly interacting with distant locales before the existence of telephones or even the widespread use of telegraphy. Drawing on original letters and diaries from the period, as well as public discussions of the expanding postal system, Henkin tells the story of how these Americans adjusted to a new world of long-distance correspondence, crowded post offices, junk mail, valentines, and dead letters. The Postal Age paints a vibrant picture of a society where possibilities proliferated for the kinds of personal and impersonal communications that we often associate with more recent historical periods. In doing so, it significantly increases our understanding of both antebellum America and our own chapter in the history of communications.

Discusses where and how to obtain stamps; tools, accessories, catalogues, and albums; identification of stamps; and the history of stamps. Includes a dictionary of terms.