"What's New in the Library" seeks to give an idea of the wide range of subjects covered by philately and philatelic literature, as well as highlighting recent additions to the NPS Library.

The books listed here appeared in previous releases of "New In the Library" and are only are only a small proportion of the philatelic books contained in the NPS Library - to search and browse the listings of over 5,000 philatelic books, plus a wide range of philatelic journals from around the world, click here to visit the NPS Library Books and Periodicals Search Page.

Russia Revenues, first edition, published by J. Barefoot Ltd. 103 pages, card cover, plus 2 colour pages. This is a new catalogue with basic prices and illustrations for the Revenues of Imperial Russia, Soviet Russia, Armies, local provisionals, Municipals, border territories such as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Tuva, Ukraine, plus the Russian Refugee issues of Egypt and France.

The Liberation of Olomouc - May 1945, by Robert J. Hill, published by The Czechoslovak Philatelic Society of Great Britain. 52 pages. This book deals with the overprints and local issues of stamps produced in the newly independent “Revolutionary” areas of Czechoslovakia at the end of World War II

Cyprus Civil Censorship 1939-1945 by Alexander C. Ioannides, FRPSL. Study paper number 2 Published by The Cyprus Study Circle, 52 pages, card cover. An interesting description of civil censorship throughout World War II with many illustrations of covers and an airgraph over three distinct periods namely August to December 1939, December 1939 to February 1942 and February 1942 to August 1945. There is a chapter on scarcity and valuation of various labels and handstamps also various manuscript censor markings. The Introduction also discloses that there was civil censorship during World War I and in 1931 due to civil unrest.

Drink Driving, Alcohol & Drugs on Postal Cancellations by Peter Gysin, Dr. med, and R.David Locke BVSc MRCVS DVSM, published by the Authors, 45 pages, card cover. With numerous illustrations, this book contains examples of Postal Cancellations covering the three subjects contained in the title from a large number of countries including Great Britain, USA, Canada, Denmark, France, Hong Kong, Italy and Japan. It provides information on subjects rarely covered by other publications. The book is dedicated to Jonathan Locke (youngest son of the co-author) who died in 1987 after being knocked off his cycle by a driver who was convicted of causing death by reckless driving.

Touring Scandinavia on Ancient Post Roads published by Post & Tele Museum, Denmark and the Post Museums of Norway, Sweden and Finland. In English language, 264 pages, card cover. This book will interest collectors of Scandinavian stamps and also tourists of the four countries. It is packed full of guided tours on the oldest post routes through the four named countries and features many excellent illustrations, mainly in colour. Some ancient maps and diagrams are also included.

British South American Airways 1946-1949 - by Richard Beith. 64 pages A4 size. This publication comprises a sourcebook for aerophilatelists with notes on previous attempts to introduce a British South Atlantic air mall service. Profusely illustrated the book includes flight schedules and timetable, also a route map from the 1948 timetable.

Rossiter Trust Postal History Journal No.5 Published by Stuart Rossiter Trust Fund. 60 pages, card cover. This journal is published annually and aims to cover shorter works of specialised interest that do not extend to a book, but nevertheless provide an introduction for those starting to learn about a particular aspect of selected postal services. Issue number five is devoted to

• The Travelling Post Offices of Great Britain - the development of West Coast Services by Harold S. Wilson ClEng MIMech
• The Republic of Venice Posts - a brief account of postal arrangements until 1797 by Richard Harlow
• German East Africa - War Emergency Measures 1915 & 1916 by Michael Farrant.

Sailing towards a Half Century - History of the American Stamp Club of Great Britain. Compiled and edited by John A.Edwards FRPSL. An interesting 52-page publication of this well known Society, founded by J Edward Chore, which has celebrated its 50th birthday. 

Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue - New Zealand & Dependencies. 54 pages, card cover. The second in a new series of A4 size one country catalogues in colour this is a very attractive publication, profusely illustrated and easy to use. It covets the entire range of stamps issued by New Zealand from the Perkins Bacon imperforates of 1855 to the two stamps issued on 23rd June 2003 to commemorate Prince William’s 21st birthday. All the stamps illustrated are in colour. There are sections devoted to Stamp Booklets. Express Delivery stamps, Postage Dues, Official stamps, the Life Insurance Department stamps, and the Postal Fiscal stamps. The catalogue also covers the Dependencies.

ABPS Directory & Handbook 2004 Published by the Association of British Philatelic Societies Ltd, 194 pages, card cover. This is a most useful reference book for everyone connected with the hobby of Philately. Information is given on local and countrywide philatelic societies, including contact details, as well as on the activities of the Association of British Philatelic societies, the national Youth Stamp Committee, the British philatelic Trust and the Stuart Rossiter Trust Fund. Other sections deal with philatelic Exhibitions and Awards and details of the various places in the UK where collections of stamps may be seen ranging from the British Library to various local museums around the country.

UPU 75 - A study of the stamps issued to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Universal Postal Union. By David Lintern and Harold Walker. 176 pages.

For many centuries the carrying of mail was the prerogative of rulers and their officials, the Church, and the wealthy. In the 19th Century the advent of the railway and the reforms initiated by Rowland Hill cheaper and faster mails become available although cross border rates remained high and accounting methods complicated. Montgomery Blair, Postmaster General of the United States, initiated the Paris Postal Conference in 1863 to try and resolve these problems. He did not remain long in office and, the torch of postal progress was taken up by the gifted German Postmaster General, Dr Heinrich Von Stephan who called the Berne Conference in 1874 which led to the formation of the General Postal Union (changed in 1873 to Universal Postal Union). The first postal convention was signed on October 5, 1874 and a simplification and reduction of rates followed over the years. Congresses of the UPU have been held at intervals since then and at the 1947 Congress in Paris all delegates were invited to issue stamps commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the UPU in 1949. Most countries did so, only Canada and New Zealand among the major stamp-issuing countries failing to respond. Some 185 countries issued approximately 600 stamps, including common designs for the British, French and Portuguese colonies; also a few so-called governments in exile. 

Although there had been omnibus issues before, notably by the British and French colonial administrations, this was the first truly world-wide issue. This book lists these, with basic designs illustrated in colour and listed varieties featured. The Miscellaneous section includes cinderellas, unauthorised issues and alternative uses of the 1949 stamps. Throughout the book, there are photographs of covers demonstrating the use of the stamps, including papaquebots, censored and and forces mail.

Plants & Stamps, Volume IV (ATA Handbook 149) by Alex Stansen & Jean Gould, published by The American Topical Association, Arlington, USA. 133-pages, perfect bound. This book portrays actual plants on stamps, starting in 1998, where Volume III ended, continuing through April 2003. The 208 countries listed have issued approximately 4,630 postage stamps on this subject in this period. The handbook does not include fungi, ferns, mosses or algae, or stylized or symbolic designs on china etc.

An Introduction to the Postal History of Denmark 1624-1950 by David Corneilus. Published by’ The Stuart Rossiter Trust Fund. 344 pages, hardback. The author has restricted his study to Denmark and Parts I to V of the book are largely based on summaries of available works by other students from 1675 to 1851 which have been published over many years. Part VI contains selected tables of Danish Postal Rates etc. before 1851 and Foreign Postal Rates up to 1875. This is a fascinating and well illustrated book of great interest to collectors of Danish stamps.

The Postal Stationery of Bechuanaland and Botswana by Peter Thy and John Inglefield-Watson, published by the British Philatelic Trust in connection with the Bechuanaland & Botswana Philatelic Society. 194 pages. Very well illustrated and includes a section on Cape of Good Hope Postal Stationery.

Latvia Airmails 1920-1940 by Harry Hoffman, Hamburg, Germany. 400 pages, card cover. Well illustrated. Text in German, with English translations 
by Philip E Robinson FRPSL and Edgar S Hall.

The First Postal History of New Orleans by Yamil H Kouri Jr. Published by The Stuart Rossiter Trust Fund, London. 306 pages card cover. This is a comprehensive study of the development of mail services and postal communications to and from New Orleans during the Spanish period between 1763 and 1804. It will appeal to North American specialists keen to learn more about the postal markings used in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, for it is well illustrated with specimens of mail, which helps to make the text more easy to understand. There is also an extensive listing of merchant and other ships, travelling to New Orleans with mail, plus much other useful information.

The Postal History of Ceylon 1795-1857 by G. F OxLey FRPSL. Published by The Ceylon Stamp Circle of Great Britain. 79 pages, size A4, card cover. A most useful handbook for Postal History collectors of Ceylon. Includes maps showing locations of early Post Offices, many illustrations of interesting covers and reproductions and lists of Post Office handstamps.

Post Office Numbers - Numerals used in Post Offices in England, Wales and Abroad 1844 - 1969 and the status of offices with numeral cancellations 1844 to 1906 by John Parmenter and Ken Smith. Published by John Parmenter, London. About 400 A4 size pages in a Loose leaf binder with sections comprising all offices in numerical order, all offices in alphabetical order, all offices in country order, numeral errors, railway sub offices that used barred numeral cancels and London offices using provisional and suburban cancellations.

Priced checklist of Barred Numeral Cancellations of England & Wales - 2nd Edition, February 2004 by John Parmenter, 75 pages, A5 size. 

Russian Postage Stamps 1917-1923 - a pocket forgery guide by Dr R. J. Ceresa. A4 size. One of a number of useful guides in a series of 11 titles which are due to be published in 2004. These guides are supplements to the five volumes of The Postage Stamps of Russia, published from 1977 to 2002, in 44 sections comprising 7000 pages with 10,000 illustrations.

New Zealand & Dependencies: a Philatelic Bibliography by David R Beech, Allan P Berry and Robin Startup. Published by Alan P Berry & David R Beech, Thames, New Zealand. 298 pages, case-bound. This important bibliography looks at the titles published on New Zealand’s postal services, postage stamps, revenue stamps and philatelic studies going back to the nineteenth century, and comprises three keys sections. The first covers over 1,000 items - monographs, manuscripts and grey literature, and background books. The second covers periodicals, catalogues and exhibition publications (but not journal articles) and the third, all those official publications by or about the New Zealand post Office. 

Philatelic Terms Illustrated by James McKay, 4th edition. Published by Stanley Gibbons. 170 pages, card cover. Known as the “Dictionary of stamps” this book contains over 1000 entries with illustrations, and provides the answers to most philatelic technology problems. It aims to enable both expert philatelists and beginners to obtain full enjoyment from their hobby.

Civil Aviation in Somaliland Protectorate 1935-1960 by Germain Mentgen, published by Murray Payne Ltd, Axbridge, Somerset. Germain traces the historical development of airmail rates and schedules through Berbera, Hargeisa and Mogadishu. Much of the book is taken up by reproductions of timetables, analyses of routes and information on airmail rates (which were remarkably high). There are instructions on how to trace the route of flown covers, and examples are given. 

Channel Island Locals by Jon Aitchison. Published by Titheall Publishing, Start Hill, near Bishops Stortford. 128 pages, card cover, perfect bound. This first edition will be welcomed by many collectors of Channel Island material for it contains 128 pages of interesting information and a host of illustrations. All the main islands in the group are represented, plus a host of small islands and islets. There is also information on shipping companies and maritime mail, railway companies, airlines, strike posts and tourism, plus trade labels, souvenir sheets and meter-marks.

Germany DNK 2004 Catalogue 73rd edition. Published by Lighthouse/Leuchtturm/Albenverlag, Geesthacht, Germany. 770 pages, softback binding. The publisher reports price increases in some issues of the Bundesrepublik, especially self-adhesive stamp booklets, “Plusbrief” postal stationery and “Numisblatter numis sheets. Following requests by collectors the publishers have included examples of various printing methods, in order to assist less experienced collectors to identify some of their stamps. This pocket size catalogue is well produced and full of essential information for collectors of German stamps.