Stamp collectors’ dictionaries

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33448, 1 February 1974, Page 20

Stamp collectors’ dictionaries

The Dictionary of Stamps. By James A. McKay. Michael Joseph. 296 pp. The Hodder Stamp Dictionary. By Douglas and Mary Patrick. Hodder and Stoughton. 277 pp. Mr McKay set himself a commendable objective in attempting to provide in colour and letterpress a potted survey of the development of postal services in each of the 838 authorities that have issued postage stamps. Unfortunately, this glossy, expensive exercise presents information that is readily obtainable from good stamp catalogues and less costly reference books. Worse, the 120 colour plates illustrating more than 3000 stamps are mostly not true to hue. The 25 examples of New Zealand stamps illustrated wou'd cause a major stir among collectors if their colours existed, though disappointment at their muddy appearance. The same defect, no credit to the English printers, mars the reproduction of Stamps from other countries. Mr McKay is regarded as an

authority on philately, but this book will not, as the dust jacket claims, be an admirable introduction for the young collector, or indispensable to “the experienced specialist.'' Suiting this commendation is the second, less pretentious dictionary. The definition of philatelic terms has led to wide and confusing differences. A glossary, far from complete, has been issued bv the Philatelic Congress of Great Britain, and a further glossary is an appendix to Vol. IV of “The Postage Stamps of New Zealand,” published by the Royal Philatelic Society of New Zealand. Both these sources are remote from the average collector, who will profit from the thorough coverage given by the authors to more than 850 p subjects. This dictionary is, in fact, a mini-encyclopaedia of the language of philately and associated subjects. One omission is a description of the Chambon perforations, a peculiarity of the 1960 New Zealand “flower” stamps. There may be others, but this is still a handbook of merit.