It is one of life's little ironies that serious stamp collectors become, inevitably, book collectors as well. There is, of course, a sensible reason for this; the larger one's philatelic library (assuming one actually reads one's books), the larger one's philatelic knowledge.
Philatelic books usually aren't cheap, but they can be worth their weight in gold to specialists, and the sooner one breaks down and recognizes that he will have to spend a portion of his "stamp money" on "stamp books," the sooner he'll start making real progress in the world of philately.
Since a good part of stamp collecting involves proper identification, catalogues take pre-eminence in the world of philatelic literature.
If you collect United States stamps, you'll want a copy of the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps & Covers 2005: Confederate States, Canal Zone, Danish West Indies, Guam, Hawaii, United Nations. A long title, I know, but the book does comprise about 900 pages, so perhaps it's justified. There's a wealth of information here, and if having the book enables you to identify just one rare stamp in your collection that you might otherwise have been unaware of, it's paid for itself.
I wouldn't get the 2005 Brookman Stamp Price Guide in place of the Scott Specialized, but you might want a copy as a supplemental reference. The Brookman guide includes information for stamps of both the United States and Canada.
Need more guides to US stamps? You probably don't, but why stop now? Consider, then, The Official Blackbook Price Guide to U.S. Postage Stamps ( a title which seems a bit overdone, as I've never seen an Unofficial Blackbook Price Guide), and the popular Postal Service Guide to U.S. Stamps. What these last two works may lack in terms of comprehensiveness, they make up for in terms of portability.
There are, of course, stamp catalogues for all countries of the world. Scott issues a multi-volume set each year, as do other firms, including Stanley Gibbons.
For general reading, especially if one is just getting interested in stamp collecting, I always recommend Richard Sine's Stamp Collecting for Dummies. It's a well-written book, with a lot of helpful information and good ideas.
One could go on and on here, but hopefully I've made the point; if you want success as a stamp collector, invest some of your collecting funds in a philatelic library. It will repay you handsomely.
© 2005 Daniel McAdam. Please note: all applicable material on this website is protected by copyright law and may not be copied without express written permission.
