The Dublin Find Don Madden and Karl Louis Mike Jackson Publications - 3 Cottesmore Ave., Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, LE13 0HY, Great Britain Ed. 2006 ISBN 0-9528274-2-5 softbound, 8 ½ x 11, 64 pages

This text is in two parts, with each written by one of the co-authors. Don Madden describes the Dublin Find itself and Karl Louis investigates what has happened to the stamps since their discovery. Both authors write well, and appear to be excellent researchers.

Now to the difficult part: a “normal” review of this book would, I believe, take away from the enjoyment of reading it yourself. That is, The Dublin Find is an amalgamation of the following:

- A mystery the authors seek to unravel … you decide just how they fared.

- If you are normally suspicious of people in high government positions, you cannot miss this tale. If ever there were proof of the concept of “truth is stranger than fiction,” this is in. And, it has the benefit of being philatelic as well! You select your choice of the good guys and the bad guys.

- If learning about more valuable stamps than one person should ever be allowed to see at any one time is important to you, the second section of the book is for you.

Perish the thought, that just might come from a rather bland title, that The Dublin Find is merely a straightforward, play-by-play of how an astute philatelist—armed with magnifier, perforation gauge, and unlimited supply of watermark fluid—came upon an unmarked box in a storage bin and slowly and methodically sorted out the valuable items. When it comes to this story, forget “commonplace” and go instead for “intrigue.”

The book is short enough to permit a single read with ease. You will want to read it that way, unless you choose to spend some additional time on the intricate drawings of how near-full panes have been broken up over the years.

Past Reviews
Encyclopedia of United States Stamps and Stamp Collecting
John Paul II Visits of Hope
The Grinnell Hawaiian Missionary Stamps
Tales by Mail - Book 1
The 2003 Catalogue of Queen Elizabeth II British Postage Stamp Errors

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