The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Stamp Collecting by Otto Hornung is a 319-page cloth-bound hardcover published by the Hamlyn Publishing Group Limited, 1970. The dust jacket has substantial chips and shelf wear but is intact.  The book has bumping to the corners and spine but inside, the binding is tight.  There is a small area of dampstaining along the bottom pages along the spine that extends to the first 37 pages.  The condition is fair.  This is a reader's copy.

Book Summary

This fully illustrated encyclopedia will appeal to stamp enthusiasts at all levels, as a comprehensive reference book for the expert, and an invaluable guide for the beginner.

Since the beginning of postal history, and the appearance of the first postage stamps more than 120 years ago (see copyright date for context), interest in philately has never ceased to grow.  What was at first a casual hobby has become a complex industry that has captured the imagination of millions all over the world.

Here Otto Hornung describes and analyses every aspect of stamps and stamp collecting, design and printing, postmarks and watermarks, cancellations, perforations, reprints and overprints, forgeries, frauds, and rarities.  There is in addition a practical section on how to form a variety of collections, with advice on equipment, arrangement, catalogues to use, in short how to prepare a collection to exhibition standard.

With its expert text and splendid illustrations--more than 900 in black and white, 150 in full color--this is a valuable addition to philatelic literature.