Books on Philately

 

 

     

Hi ! I am giving here the list of books on Philately, compiled by Dr Bibhudutta Mishra, Bhubaneshwar. Readers may send the names of books which have not been mentioned in the list . It will be included in the list and re published on the blog.

 

List of Indian Books on Philately

Sl. No	Name of Books	Author	Publisher	Year of Publication	Price Rs & Lang.
1	The Post Office of India	Ananda Gopal Sen		1875
2	Postal History & Practice	I G J Hamilton		1910
3	Early Indian Cancellations	Jal Cooper		1948, facsimile reprint, 1995
4	India Used Abroad.	Jal COOPER		1950 100pp.
5	Story of the Indian Post Office	Mulk Raj Anand		1955
6	Post Card Catalogue of India and Indian States 1879 - 1979	Madhukar Jhingan		1979
7	Army Post Office & Philately (A Selection of Philatelic Articles)	Brig D S Virk		1980
8	Hyderabad Philatelic History	M A Nayeem		1980
9	Gwalior	Prof V K Gupta		1980
10	Essays on Postal History	several authors		1980
11	From the Diary of Stephen Smith	D N Jatia		1980
12	Indian Army Post Offices in Second World War	Brig D S Virk		1982
13	Slogans and Special Postmarks of India 1875-1947	Ashok Kumar Bayanwala		1982
14	India used Abroad	Vispi S Dastur		1982
15	Postal Censorship in India	Brig D S Virk		1983
16	Postal History of Zemindari Dawk	M L Majumdar		1984
17	Madras GPO Earlier Postal History of Madras Presidency	M M Inamdar		1986
18	Bombay GPO Earlier Postal History of Bombay Presidency	M M Inamdar		1986
19	Local Postal Service of Thikana Khetri (Jaipur State) and Its Fiscals	O P Bhatnagar		1988
20	Postal History of Indian Campaigns :Sikkim - Tibet 1903 -1908	Brig D S Virk et el.		1989
21	A Study of East India Half Anna Stamp	Dr A Y Kantharia		1989
22	Bibliography - Indian Philately			1989
23	Ajmer Postal History	J M Dhor & T C Ranjan		1989
24	Registration Receipts & Acknowledgment Forms of Indian Post Office	Col. L G Shenoi		1989
25	Imperial Post Offices of British India	M L Majumdar	2 volumes	1990
26	Philately	S.P.Chatterjee	NCERT, New Delhi	1990 94 pages	26.50 (English)
27	Indian Postal History 1873 - 1923	Brig. D S Virk		1991
28	Postal History of Indian Campaigns :China Expeditionary Force 1900 -1923	Brig D S Virk et el.		1992
29	Early History and Growth of Postal System in India	M L Majumdar		1995
30	Philately for the young	Mathew Varki	Children’s BookTrust, New Delhi	1996 100 pages	50.00 (English)
31	Indian Telegraphs 1851 - 1914 Philatelic & Operational History	I Patel & D Desai		1996
32	Conservation, restoration and Philatelic Chemistry	Prof V K Gupta		1997 208 pages	1500.00
33	Classics of India	G B Pai		1997
34	The Scinde Dawks & Lithographs of India	D E Wadia		1997
35	Stamps of Indian Native States	P M Medhora		1997
36	Thematic Philately	Prof V K Gupta		192 pages	250.00
37	Calcutta GPO	M L Majumdar		1998
38	Indian Airgraphs	Manohar Lal		1999
39
40	Brahmini Dawk: History of Postal Communication in Mewar	R K Sarawagi & M Deogawanka		1999
41	Sorath Stamps & Postal History	R A Malaviya		1999
42	Collecting Stamps	Balchand and Jaya Pai	Children's Book Trust, New Delhi, India	1999	20.00
43	India's Bi-colored Four Annas 1854	D N Jatia		2000
44	How to collect stamp	A.S.Mittal	Adarsha Prakashan, Jaipur	2000	25.00 (English)
45	A Brief History of the Army Postal Service Corps,	Brig S K Sen		2002
46	An Approach to History of Post Office in India and Other Essays	Shivnath		2002
47	Hand Book of Philately	Secretary, Dept. of Post, Govt. of India	Dept. of Post	2003 60 pages	16.00 (English)
48	Dakatikata Sangraha Kaise Karein	A.S.Mittal	Adarsha Prakashan, Jaipur	2004	20.00 (Hindi)
49	Milepost	West Bengal Circle India Post		2005
50	Stamp collecting today	Sangeeta Devgawanka	Vasundhara Publication, Kolkatta	2005 73 pages	96.00 (English)
51	Gandhi Handbook	Manik Jain & Mrinal Kanti Ray		2006
52	Window to Philately	B.Padmini	Sura Books Pvt. Ltd., Chennai	2007 124 pages	70.00 (English)
53	Stamp Quizzes-A handbook of Philatelic Trivia & Quizzes	Anil Dhir	Amadeus Press, Bhubaneswar	2007 244 pages	300/- (English)
54	Nature through Postage Stamps	Dept. Of Post New Delhi		2007	175.00
55	Indian Freedom Struggle through Postage Stamps	Dept. Of Post		2007	500.00
56	Stamps of India -Gandhi	Dept. Of Post		2007	200.00
57	Discover India through Philately	Dept. Of Post		2007	600.00
58	1857 – Through India Postage Stamps	Dept. Of Post		2007	400.00
59	India Post-A journey through ages	Aravinda Kumar Singh Translated- Shailendra Das	National Book Trust, New Delhi 978-81-237-5592-2	2009 485 pages	150/- (English)
60	Uttarakhand - A Philatelic Journey	Abhai Mishra & Rajesh Varma		2009
61	India's Freedom Struggle Through India Postage Stamps	Vishnu S Saksena
62	Famous stamps-The romance of rarities	Anil Dhir	Amadeus Press, Bhubaneswar	2011 192 pages	200.00 (English)
63	Dakatikata Sangraha	Bibhudatta Mishra & Shanti swarup Rath	Grantha Mandir, Cuttack	2011 130 pages	80.00 (Oriya)
64	My rainbow of Philatelic Articles	Dr Satyandra Kumar Aggarwal	Phila gold Publication	2011 150 pages	1200.00
65	Anche Janapad	Mr M.R.Pravakar	Karnatak	2012	150.00
66	Know Your Stamps	D.Chakravarthy	Chakravarthy, 1-C Gayathri Apartments, 302 James Long Sarani, PO Jokha,   WB 743512, India
67.	A Guide to Modern Indian Postal Stationery, 1947-2003	Prashant Pandya	Vadodara		Rs 400 US $ 20.00

- Dr Bibhudatta Mishra – Bhubaneshwar

Blog : http://fishstamplover.blogspot.in/

Club News

Guinness Records to  Daniel Monteiro

Brahmavar: Daniel Monteiro, Office Asst. of St. Mary’s Syrian College here has secured ‘Guinness World Records’ for his largest collection of stamps featuring birds. His total collection consists of 4911 stamps from 263 countries. The old record was in the name of Mr. Paul-Erwin Oswald of Germany.

Mr.Daniel made an attempt for this record by organizing a major philatelic exhibition Birdpex-2011’ on 7^th and 8^th December 2011 at S.M.S. community hall, Brahmavar. More than 6000 people including VIPS, Juries, stamp collectors participated in this event.

Daniel began the hobby of collecting stamps at the age of 11 (year 1973). In the Primary School, when a teacher encouraged Daniel and his other classmates to develop any one of the hobbies, the collection of stamps attracted Daniel. He began by collecting stamps of all types and then went on to specialize in water birds, which aroused his interest in them so much. Since his house is surrounded by a river and a lake with variety of water birds, he took special interest in them.

Later he also took to ornithological studies, Bird watching and Environment protection activities. The awards, distinctions and recognitions he won are numerous, 10 international level from Belgium, Austria, South Africa, Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok , Korea, Indonesia, China and India, 21 national level and 13 state level and from 31 prestigious institutions in Karnataka State, including All India Sahitya Convention Award, District Rajyaotsava Award, Vishveshvarayya Award, Ambedkar award, Extraordinary Personality of Konkani Award.

Daniel’s another noteworthy achievement was his entry into the ‘Limca Book of Records’ a due recognition for his rare collection of ducks stamps and also three records in ‘India Book Of Records’ for largest collection of ducks stamps, largest collection of birds stamps and one man largest exhibition, Birdpex-2011.

He is also a member of all the recognized Philatelic Associations in India. He has, on his own initiative, organized 163 exhibitions on Philately and 31 workshops on environment and philately till date, and also actively involved himself in creating an awareness about wild life and the need to protect the environment. He has presented papers on birds and stamps at seminars held, even at the national level. Mr. Daniel Monteiro loves to talk to children about birds and stamps, and this he does by organizing workshops, exhibitions and competitions for school children and college students.

Daniel Monteiro  may be contacted at email : danielbvr@yahoo.com

 

 

CRICKET WORLD CUP - A STAMP COLLECTION

COLLECTOR'S BOOK

This book is a journey into the history of World Cup cricket. It begins with a brief introduction of the World Cup Cricket starting from first world Cup played in 1975 to the recently concluded one in 2011. The book then covers cricketing history of 9 Test playing Nations and participating nations in 2011 Cricket world cup. Finally book journeys into the world of cricket memorabilia like stamps, special covers, coins, medals, cricket bats, cricket kits etc.

Housed in this informative album, the collection of 10 postal sheets featuring 9 test playing nations and captains of world cup teams issued during world cup 2011 by postal departments of Caribbean island nations - St. Kitts, Nevis and St. Vincent.

Price : INR - 2,499.00  For more details contact :

Pradip Jain, POST BOX 128, MITHAPUR, PATNA 800 001 (INDIA)

PH:   0091-612-2215929, FAX: 0091-612-2238010

Mobile : 0091-93341 32162, EMAIL: philapradip@gmail.com

Rainbow Stamp…

 

Hi !

While surfing on Net I came across a beautiful stamp featuring ‘Rainbow’ issued by Nepal Post on ‘Balanced Environment’. This stamp has appeared on Indian Stamp Ghar. I shall be highly thankful if anyone could help me in getting this beautiful stamp as this is from my favouite theme “ Rainbow ”. I shall be pleased to send mint stamps in exchange. In this post please read an article on stamp collecting by Mr Mainak Kathiara of Ahmedabad and news on pictorial cancellations from Germany. This is all for Today..… More in Next Post….Till Then Have a Great Time !……...

Club News

New Pictorial Cancellations on fauna from Germany

Norderney

Date of Issue : 1 April 2012

Jackdaw

Date of Issue : 26 May 2012

During  a philatelic exhibition  in Kaltennordheim on May 26th  2012 ,Germany, will be available a new  pictorial cancellation featuring the JACKDAW (Corvus  monedula), BIRD OF THE YEAR   2012 in Germany.

Interested philatelists in the above cancellations may contact Mr Wolfgang Beyer, Vice Chairman of the German Collector Group ArGe ZOOLOGIE. Mail: Wolfgang.Beyer1@polizei.sachsen.de Postage rates are 0,75 Euro AIRMAIL or 2,80 Euro REGISTERED AIRMAIL

Articles

I am pleased to share here an article by renowned philatelist of Ahmedabad Mr Mainak Kathiara. This article was published in Phila Post in 2008. some images have been changed in this article . Mr Mainak Kathiara may be contacted at email : mainak61@yahoo.com

Learning Philately

Stamp collecting or ‘Philately’ is one of those timeless hobbies that might have been enjoyed by your grandfather and could be a past time for your grandchildren. Stamp collecting is far more compelling than just the removal of the paper from the back of the stamp.

The postage stamp permitted the letter to be delivered free of charge to the recipient, thus rendering it as untaxed. The introduction of the postage stamp and its popularity gave rise to an interest in philately and birth of the Philatelist. The history of philately is as old as the history of the postage stamp itself.

- Mainak Kathiara, Ahmedabad

 

A world of opportunity opens up when you start to learn about a stamp. Philately is one of the more interesting and educational hobbies as it teaches us about history, geography, politics, art & culture, all inside the borders of a postage stamp.It trains our power of observation, improves our perception, broadens our views and adds to our knowledge of many fields of learning.

Stamp collecting or ‘Philately’ is one of those timeless hobbies that might have been enjoyed by your grandfather and could be a past time for your grandchildren. Stamp collecting is far more compelling than just the removal of the paper from the back of the
stamp. Philately is a way of engaging in the past through pictorial imagery and preserving it for the future.

Definition of Philately:

The oxford dictionary defines the word ‘Philately’ as the ‘collection and study of stamps’. The term ‘Philately’ was coined in 1865 by a Frenchman, Mr. George Herpin, who combined the Greek words ‘PHILOS + TELEIN’, where Philos means ‘love’ and Telein means ‘exemption from the payment of tax’. The postage stamp permitted the letter to be delivered free of charge to the recipient, thus rendering it as untaxed. The introduction of the postage stamp and its popularity gave rise to an interest in philately and birth of the Philatelist. The history of philately is as old as the history of the postage stamp itself.

Stamp collecting today is the world’s oldest and most widely followed hobby. It is also one of the very few hobbies which has acquired authentic status and enjoys extensive government support.

A Few Generalised Tips for the Collectors:

Be a regular visitor at the post office philatelic bureau. The advantages are many:

a) By opening a philatelic deposit account, you are secured about your supply of Mint Stamps, First Day Covers, Brochures and postal stationery etc.

b) You get the material delivered to your address without extra cost.

 

c) You get the stamps from the post office at face value, which is a parallel currency and hence you are never a loser.

 

d) You can get 25p Meghdoot Post Cards. Lot of slogans, information on social issues are to be seen on them and they will be a good source for Thematic collection.

e) The brochure of any stamp is worth reading. It will help to learn the details of the particular
stamp. It is also a collectable item.

f) You get a chance to meet fellow philatelists of your area and it gives you chance to
exchange views.

The department is carrying out all these activities to promote philately. You can take advantage of them. So what are you waiting for? Go and open a philatelic account.

• Be in touch with senior philatelists - they have learnt philately the hard way and their experience will help you a lot.

• Refer to the many Internet auction sites on philately.• Try to get a few good catalogues, reference books, auction lists, magazine, articles written by senior philatelists, and postal information from time to time from post offices.

• Go for quality material even if it is a bit more costly. It will be more worthy in the long run.

• Buy good stationery items to preserve your philatelic material in good condition.

• Visit National and International exhibitions, which will broaden your vision for collecting.

• Become a member of a local philatelic society where you can interact with philatelists of your area.

• Never speculate on stamps unless you are guided by the specialist of that subject.

 

Hexagonal stamps of the ‘Aldabra Giant Tortoise’ issue

Be Innovative:

Innovation will take you a step ahead of your fellow collectors. Shown below are hexagonal stamps of the ‘Aldabra Giant Tortoise’ issue. Different attractive combinations can be made which gives a beautiful look.

Try to be creative - it does not cost much and it is a pleasure to look at. The department is carrying out all these activities to promote philately. You can take advantage of them. So
what are you waiting for? Go and open a philatelic account.

• Be in touch with senior philatelists - they have learnt philately the hard way and their experience will help you a lot.

Also shown below are two covers which were made by a philatelist to commemorate the ‘World Aids Day’. These types of innovative/creative ideas will give birth to exclusive items for the future and will enhance your collection.

 

To commemorate World Aids Day on 1st December, Cover was cancelled with Date
Stamp, as no special cancellation was available.

 

A private First Day Cover commemorating the release of Aids Stamp on 1st December 2006. The cover shows ‘Tata Steels’ initiative for prevention of HIV Aids.

Educate Yourself :

You have to ask a few questions of yourself if you want to be an expert of philately.

a) Do you want to lead your fellow philatelists, rather than being ignored by them? Then educate yourself and share what you know with others.

b) Do you want to get goodies that busy and lazy dealers over look for cheap prices? Then......READ.

c) Do you want to make fruitful investment in stamps? Then the answer is, READ as much as you can.

You have seen them. They are usually quiet. They sit at a dealers table and sift through everything within their speciality. What are they looking for? Dozens of things: cancellations, the rare shade, different perforations, die variety, rare rate, rare destinations and many more things. Don’t ask these experts; they are professionals
at what they do and they won’t tell you the secrets. They took the time to READ the books. They are experts and if you know what they know, you would get in line or ahead of them, wouldn’t you? So keep reading !

These days, stamps are considered as an alternative investment. Stamps possess considerable aesthetic qualities and there is also psychological appeal of something tangible, rather than the figures in the bank pass book or demat accounts. The beauty of investing in stamps is that there is such an enormous range and diversity of material available to suit every pocketbook. With the present surge of interest in philately as an alternative investment, the future looks very bright.

The next time when you pass by a post office in any city pay attention to how they are using their philately to promote the country, cater to the tourist, or commemorate moments of significance. My appeal to young professionals, doctors, lawyers, chartered accountants is to have a peep at the philatelic bureau wherever they go. I am sure they will find something or the other that is interesting to take home as a collectible or to gift someone  as a memento.

- Phila Post 2008

Promotion of Philately…

 

Promotion of Philately - A Different Perspective

: Mainak Kathiara, Ahmedabad

Mainak Kathiara, President of Gujarat Philatelists’ Association (GPA) is a renowned philatelist from Ahmedabad. He has created some very special covers for different occasions which have always been highly appreciated by thematic philatelists. Mr Kathiara is an enthusiast philatelist who is associated with many promotional activities of philately. It’s a great pleasure to share here one of his articles “Promotion of Philately - A Different Perspective”. This article was  published in Phila Post in 2008. Mr Mainak Kathiara may be contacted at email : mainak61@yahoo.com

The department spends a lot of money in promoting philately but still they have not been able to hit the right market segment. Now it becomes a collective duty of philatelists, dealers and philatelic associations to provide a solution to get Indian Philately recognised internationally.

In the era of technology the stamp of India Post should be available online. It would be a boon for collectors in India and abroad. Proper guidelines for despatching the materials and the mode of receiving the payment should be mentioned.

Philately as a hobby rests on three pillars: Post Office (originator); Philatelist (end user); and Dealer (market feeder). A very strong coordination among all the three is required at every stage to sustain the hobby and take it to new heights. The Dealer will help the philatelist to fill up the gaps in his collection, so free and frank exchange of ideas is a must between a philatelist and a dealer. The Post Office should encourage both the philatelist and the dealer to make the stamp collecting a successful hobby. Local/State/ National level Philatelic Associations also have a major role to play in promoting philately.

The department spends a lot of money in promoting philately but still they have not been able to hit the right market segment. Now it becomes a collective duty of philatelists, dealers and philatelic associations to provide a solution to get Indian Philately recognised internationally. For this, an exhaustive plan of 10 to 20 years should be drawn up by taking the views of the experts of the field. We have to look towards the future and work in accordance with the future in our minds.

Registration of Dealers & Philatelic Association

It is a pity that even after 60 years of our Independence, there is no National Stamp Dealers Association. The dealers in general are still much unorganised. India Post should try to register a few good dealers and a few good philatelic associations and give them accreditation (rating). This will help the dealers and philatelic associations to become stronger and accountable. With the years to come, they will gain the confidence of philatelists and investors both in India and abroad. A certain code of conduct should be adhered to and ratings should be given only on merits like (on the lines of) the membership of Philatelic Trade Society (PTS), American Stamp Dealers Association (ASDA) etc. In foreign countries dealers associations are so strong that they normally conduct major philatelic events besides a number of regional events in a very organised manner.

Once this system is established amongst dealers, the confidence of the philatelist will increase. This confidence will give birth to the fourth pillar of philately and that is the ‘INVESTORS’. Of late there have been a few investors in philately, but the numbers are minuscule. Still, big corporate investment bankers etc., have not entered in this field because of the evils of the unorganised market. There is huge potential for this market segment to be tapped.

Certificate of Authenticity / Genuineness

There is an urgent need to form an expert committee to give certificates of authenticity for premium grade stamps, rarities etc. Sinde Dawks, early lithographs, early cancellations, rarities and other philatelic gems are sold with certificate of authenticity and its genuineness. In India, there is no specialised organisation to certify these items. We have to get this certified either in England, USA, Germany and France etc., whose certificates of genuineness are valid and respected internationally.

Even for classic Indian items, the certificate of Royal Philatelic Society (RPS) or American Philatelic Society (APS) etc., is needed. There are a few reputed individuals also whose certificates are recognised. India Post in association with senior philatelists and associations can work in this regard and help fellow collectors to enhance their collection values. Something like this will help in promoting philately in a big way.

Stamps should be available On-line:

In the era of technology the stamp of India Post should be available on-line. It would be a boon for collectors in India and abroad. Proper guidelines for despatching the materials and the mode of receiving the payment should be mentioned. This system if implemented would increase the sale of stamps and related products of the Department of Post by many-fold. The unsold stock of the bureau would be a ‘hot cake’ item for collectors of other States. By doing this people at large would see the stamps for sale on the net and at the end the DOP will be a sure winner.

Also I would like to add that any information of the post office relating to philately should be available on-line. Each postal circle should have its own website, with all philatelic information. Philatelists would like to take cue from the introduction of new products for their collections.

How to get the Grass Root Collector to Exhibit

In India, like in other countries, a discontent is growing amongst would be collectors. They feel that the exhibition world is reserved for collectors with fat wallets and that only they can win high-placed medals. They also feel that the rules were too rigid.

The exhibitors realised that at their exhibitions, the public crowded around the dealers and post office stalls and queued up to get a set of newly released stamps or special covers. The man from the street did not understand the refinements of looking page after page, frame after frame of say, 1st issues of England or early India cancellations etc. They needed new and more exciting exhibits to attract the public.

These are the suggestions, which if implemented will become a win-win situation for all concerned. Again consensus should be reached among the three pillars of philately as to how to get more and more young people involved in exhibiting their collections. Still a lot of constructive work with innovative ideas is needed to put India amongst the more respectable country promoting philately.

I would like to conclude by quoting a note of management expert Mr. Peter F. Drucker. “Today’s efforts are tomorrow’s work, which a manager thought yesterday”.

This will be an on going article and reader views and suggestions etc., are welcome. This will take us one step ahead  in promoting and developing philately in India.

: Phila Post

Club News

New special cover from Kanpur

Kanpur District Level Philatelic Exhibition - 2012

Date of Issue : 25 March 2012

2 Special Covers were released at Kanpur District Level Philatelic  Exhibition KANPEX 2012 being held from 24-25 March 2012, on Bicentenary Chawk Satti Chaura Kanpur & Cantonment Board, Ministry of defence  Kanpur.

- M . Gulrez   Ph 09936193280

Indian theme on foreign stamps…

 

Mozambique

Indian Art and Paintings

These sheetlets on Indian art and paintings were issued by Mozambique Post in 2011.

 

 : Pradeep Jain, Patna

 

 My recent Cover / Card

Christmas Greetings from Latvia

 

Special  Christmas card, issued by Latvia Post

Thanks to EN Limanski, Riga – Latvia

The Human Life Cycle and the Rise and Fall of  Philately 

- Jin Hur

  

 

This article  by Jin Hur was published  recently in  Korean Stamp review magazine.

: Pradeep Jain, Patna

New stamp from India…

 

Date of Issue : 12 October 2011

Image : Mansoor B, Mangalore

On 12th October 2011,  India Post released a postage  Stamp on  ‘ The Punjab Regiment & 1 Para -  SF 1 – Punjab ‘ .

Special Covers

Jammu & Kashmir

Chinar – 2011

A set of 11 special covers were released during Chinar – 2011.

11 special covers were released during CHINAR – 2011, Srinagar. These  Covers are available at Rs 15 each . Contact : The Postmaster, GPO Srinagar Ph. 0194 –2474039  email : chinar2011@gmail.com 

 : Ashwani Dubey – Gorakhpur

 

Philatelist with a unique collection

Mr P.S.SESHADRI, 63 years old  retired  Mechanical engineer is an avid stamp collector from Chennai. He has been collecting stamps for the last 49 years,ever since he was a student.

He had participated in district, State and National level exhibitions and won medals for his collection on Rotary International, Aircrafts and Transportation.He has a big collection of stamps from around the world,including Miniature sheets.

His special collection for which he got the Limca Book of Records certificate and Guinness World Record (Yet to get certificate) was for a collection of a single design, postally  used commemorative stamps of a different country than that of India - numbering to 1,62,000 as on date. He did this fete only to motivate children.

He also teaches school children on Systematic Philately-How to collect, What to collect and what Not to collect and how to exhibit in an exhibition.He is  a member of SIPA. and the past secretary of the association.

Mr P.S.SESHADRI may be contacted at email : chechu2948@gmail.com