The complete guide to stamp collecting

by James A. MacKay

A full-colour directory of the world's greatest stamps, including photographs over 3000 stamps from more than 200 countries

Genres: Reference, Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Also credited as "James MacKay" or "James Alexander MacKay".

Dr. James Alexander MacKay was a prolific Scottish writer and philatelist whose reputation was damaged by a criminal conviction for theft and repeated accusations of plagiarism. In an obituary by John Holman, Editor of the British Philatelic Bulletin, Mackay was described as a "philatelic writer without equal". Mackay's output was broad.

Reviews

[Fi]

got a little overwhelmed by the absolutely extensive index overviewing (seemingly every?) individual countries stamp history, so i didn't get through all of that, just the first hundred or so. did enjoy the first half of the book which went over stamp collecting more broadly. the idea that people collect "disaster" stamps is both to be expected and absolutely wild because someone for sure has a collection specializing in, like, the 2001 anthrax attacks. also other horrors. very knowlagable and would probably be a good reference guide to own if you are starting out a stamp collection and going about it with more technical prowess than the "oh pretty" vibe i like to bring to these sorts of things.

[Diana Kozelkova · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable beginner reference book for adults new to stamp collecting, or those revisiting their old collections. Easy to read and lavishly illustrated in color. Contains photos of 3000 stamps from almost every country worldwide (that issued stamps in 2010). Already outdated by 2023, so a 2nd edition would be welcome, if author of new edition would include a selected bibliography of some recommended books (published by stamp clubs in England, U.S. etc.), and an index to the countries included in the pages (sometimes 3-4 countries squeezed into 2 pages!).

[Ellison · Rating 4 out of 5]

shares the history of stamps and various methods of assembling a collection, includes mentioning what a person may need to collect. shares stamps from countries around the globe, including...north korea?! insightful, no prices mentioned, for collecting.

[Francesca 🧚‍♀️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great one to dip in and out of, I’m glad I stumbled across it at the library. Love all the visuals and rich and extensive exploration of stamps, their history and cultural significance!

[Cbphoenix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covers worldwide stamps, bursting with color photos, informative about individual stamps and countries, with lots of interesting anecdotes.