Literary Stamp Collecting

Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu (1838-1907), a Romanian writer, philologist and historian, designed by Rodica Coteanu, printed by photogravure, and issued by Romania on January 30, 1982, Scott No. 3050, plus an image of an autographed portrait of B. P. Hasdeu. Note: Hasdeu is considered to have been able to understand 26 languages, and could converse in many of them!

- nethryk

Here is an image of an airmail stamp featuring a portrait of Francisco Antonio Gavidia Guandique (1863-1955), a Salvadoran writer, historian, philosopher, politician, speaker, translator, educator and journalist, printed by photogravure (Austrian State Printing House), and issued by El Salvador on September 24, 1965 as one of a set of six similar stamps honoring the prominent Central American humanist, Scott No. C224, plus an image of a photo of Francisco Antonio Gavidia.

- nethryk

Only a matter of days after I had visited the Paddington Bear at Norfolk Square close to Paddington station (photo, lower right), I learned that his creator, Michael Bond had passed away at 91 years of age (June 28th, 2017). Bond began the Paddington Bear series of children's books decades ago and they have been translated into many languages. Paddington's adventures and travels have delighted generations not only of children the world over.

Dorothy Parker (1893 – 1967) was an American poet, short story writer, critic, and satirist. Her work includes Enough rope: poems (1926), Sunset Guns (1928), Death and Taxes (1931), After Such Pleasures (1932), and Here Lies (1939).
USPS issued a stamp honoring Dorothy Parker on August 22, 1992.

Edna Ferber (1885 – 1968) was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels included the Pulitzer Prize-winning So Big (1924), Show Boat (1926), Cimarron (1929), Giant (1952), and Ice Palace (1958). USPS issued a stamp in her honor on July 29, 2002.

Charles Waddell Chesnutt (1858 – 1932) was an African-American author, essayist, political activist and lawyer, best known for his novels and short stories exploring complex issues of racial and social identity in the post-Civil War South. His work includes novels The House Behind the Cedars (1900), The Marrow of Tradition (1901), and The Colonel's Dream (1905).
A stamp in the Black Heritage Series honoring Charles W. Chesnutt was issued on January 31, 2008.

James Arthur "Jimmy" Baldwin (1924 – 1987) was one of the foremost American writers of the twentieth century. His essays explore intricacies of racial, sexual, and class distinctions in mid-20th-century America. His notable work includes Go Tell It on the Mountain (1953), Notes of a Native Son (1955), The Fire Next Time (1963), No Name in the Street (1972), The Devil Finds Work (1976), and The Evidence of Things Not Seen.
The United States postal service issued a 37-cent James Baldwin commemorative stamp on July 23, 2004.

Robert Penn Warren (1905 – 1989) was an American poet, novelist, and literary critic. He received the 1947 Pulitzer Prize for the Novel for his novel All the King's Men (1946) and the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1958 and 1979. He is the only person to have won Pulitzer Prizes for both fiction and poetry.
The United States Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp on April 22, 2005 to mark the 100th anniversary of Warren's birth.

Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (1811 – 1896) was an American abolitionist and author. She is best known for her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852), which depicts the harsh conditions for enslaved African Americans. She wrote 30 books, including novels, three travel memoirs, and collections of articles and letters.
The U.S. Postal Service issued a 75-cent Harriet Beecher Stowe definitive stamp on June 13, 2007.

James Albert Michener (1907 – 1997) was an American author of more than 40 books, most of which were fictional, lengthy family sagas which incorporate solid history. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1948 for his novel Tales of the South Pacific. His other notable work includes The Bridges at Toko-ri (1953), Sayonara (1954), Hawaii (1959), Caravans (1963), The Drifters (1971), South Pacific (1992), among others.
The U.S. Postal Service issued a James A. Michener stamp on May 12, 2008.

Marianne Craig Moore (1887 – 1972) was an American Modernist poet, critic, and editor. Her first professionally published poems appeared in The Egoist and Poetry in 1915. She was the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry (1952) and has often been called "America's first lady of poetry."
Marianne Moore was honored with a 25-cent commemorative stamp issued on April 18, 1990.

Here is an image of a stamp honoring Austrian author and poet Paula von Preradovic (1887-1951), designed by Adolf "Adi" Tima (1956- ), combined engraved by Alfred Nefe and photogravure, and issued by Austria on May 17, 1996, Scott No. 1704, plus an image of a photograph of the writer. Note: The words inscribed on this stamp, Land der Berge, Land am Strome ("Land of the mountains, land by the river"), are the opening words of Austria's National Anthem (adopted in 1946), the lyrics for which were written by Paula von Preradovic.

- nethryk

Here is an image of an airmail stamp featuring a portrait of French novelist Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880), designed and engraved by French artist Georges Bétemps (1921-1992), and issued by Gabon on May 14, 1980, Scott No. C231, plus an image of a photograph of Gustave Flaubert which was probably a model for this stamp's design.

- nethryk

Here is an image of a stamp featuring a portrait of L'udovít Velislav Štúr (1815-1856), a Slovak journalist, poet, publisher, teacher, philosopher, politician, linguist and the author of the Slovak language standard, eventually leading to the contemporary Slovak literary language, designed and combined engraved by Rudolf Cigánik (1961- ) and photogravure, and issued by Slovakia on October 23, 2015 to commemorate the bicentenary of the author's birth, Scott No. 724, plus an image of a painted portrait of L'udovít Štúr by Slovak artist Jozef Božetech Klemens (1817-1883) which may have been a model for this stamp's design.

- nethryk

Here are images of the three stamps in a set honoring French Renaissance writer François Rabelais (c. 1494-1553), an author of fantasy, satire, the grotesque, bawdy jokes and songs whose best known work is La vie de Gargantua et de Pantagruel ("The Life of Gargantua and of Pantagruel"), a pentalogy of satirical novels about two giants. The first two stamps in the set, designed by French artist Pierrette Lambert (1928- ), illustrate scenes from Gargantua and Pantagruel; the third stamp, designed by Pierre Gandon (1899-1990), depicts a 17th century drawing of François Rabelais; all three stamps are engraved by Pierre Gandon, and issued by Monaco on November 8, 1984 to commemorate the 450th anniversary of the death of François Rabelais, Scott Nos. 1443-1445.

- nethryk

Young Gargantua playing with cattle


The sheep of Panurge


François Rabelais