The Queen's Stamps: The Authorised (Authorized) History of the Royal Philatelic Collection

This elegant book is the definitive historical account of one of the world's most important and extensive stamp collections, and of the monarchs and keepers who have -contributed to it.Inaugurated by Queen Victoria, and enlarged by five successive British monarchs, the main body of the Collection came into being under George V, whose passionate and shrewd acquisition of many other private collections has ensured the unique and comprehensive character of his own.Highly illustrated with full-color reproductions of some of the most famous stamps ever printed, The Queen's Stamps is a story told through the stamps themselves, as well as through astonishing anecdotes featuring the kings, queens and courtiers who brought them together.This informative, surprising volume is the first and definitive history of a unique institution, written to appeal to the general reader with an interest in Royal history, as well as to those with a specialist's enthusiasm for the most collected commodity in the world. The book's publication will coincide with the inauguration of a major stamp exhibition at the Smithsonian Museum, Washington, DC.Nicholas Courtney is the former governor of Mustique, and the author of 20 books. He lives in London.