Tales by Mail - Book 1 Karen Cartier Legend Lady Press Ed. 2000 ISBN 0615117589 Softbound, 203 pages

Stamp collectors have many, many ways of enjoying their hobby. Often, particularly because stamp collecting is such a visual hobby, a collector must show a method of enjoyment rather than merely talk about it. Karen Cartier has done just that in Tales by Mail, where some of the hundreds of stories she has collected over the year are presented with postage stamps serving to illustrate the text.

Mrs. Cartier was introduced to stamps as more than something to use when mailing a letter or paying a bill by her husband, Ray, early in their marriage in the mid 1960s. Her love of topical stamp collecting grew rapidly. In 1996 she was named a Most Distinguished Topicalist by the American Topical Association. Ray has since become executive director of the organization, the largest of its type in the world.

Tales by Mail is for children of all ages, perhaps up through 60 or so. It brings together stories literally from around the world ... from Botswana to Denmark, from New Zealand to the Faroes, from Saar to Israel.

The stories are short, each with a message, and each illustrated by a stamp issued by the country of the story's origin. Each who reads this book no doubt will develop a different favorite story, which is to be expected. Formatted simply, each story is preceded by a full-color illustration of the commemorative stamp that no only is impressive in its own right but also serves through its design to set the stage for the story that follows.

For those who wonder of the relationship between a stamp design and what is "behind" the design, this book serves as an excellent example.

Past Reviews
The 2003 Catalogue of Queen Elizabeth II British Postage Stamp Errors

Submit a Book for Review We review newly-published philately related books. If you are a publisher or author and would like to submit a book for review, please send one review copy of the book (not a gallery) and any accompanying materials to STAMP ISSUE Editor (see our Contacts).