Definitive Canada: A FDC from 1971.

I wrote a short text on a Canadian issue dating dec. 31 1971 – the “eve” of the bibliophilatelic very famous “International Year of the Book” 1972 – in the ib.weblog and at least I want to include the image of the FDC here as well:

One may easily guess: The definitive stamp pictures Elizabeth II and the Canadian Library of Parliament. The FDC adds a view into the reading room.

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two mexican stamps, blogged in the ib.weblog

I wrote a short text on the following two mexican stamps in the ib.weblog (this time german-only, sorry for that):

Biblioteca José Vasconcelos
issued: may 16th 2006

Mexico Turistico / Central Public Library
issued: september 11th 1987

Nacionalna i sveučilišna knjižnica u Zagrebu, on stamp

While being in Croatia I came across another piece of bibliophilately which was issued last year and honors the 400th anniversary of the National and University Library in Zagreb.

I blogged a short text about it right here.

The humanistic library of Sélestat, on stamp

I haven’t been posting here for quite a while for several reasons but at least for today I’m really delighted to add some update. This features a rather new stamp issued this years february 12th by the french La Poste. It is a somehow “classical” bibliophiatelic piece devoted to the Bibliothèque humaniste de Sélestat, which is a nice personal coincidence because it was in Sélestat where I bought my first french stamps at a local post office right after visiting the Bibliothèque during an Alsac-Library study trip some of years go. (I just googled it up: It was October 10th 2003…) This year the impressive library which resides since 1889 in some building at the corner Rue de Sel and Rue de la Bibliothèque (while the post office can be found three minutes away in the Rue de la Poste..) celebrates its 555 anniversary and despite I’m not sure whether there is some relation to the topical’s issue, I just go ahead and suppose there is one. One nice trivia is the inscription of the storefront’s mosaic mounted in 1907 saying “Stadtbibliothek – Museum” in german as Sélestat belonged between 1871 and 1918 to Germany as a garrison town.

The stamp features an illuminated initial of the Livre des Miracles de Sainte-Foy written by Bernard episcopal schoolmaster of Angers. The nominal value is 60 cents. The engraving is done by Jacky Larrivière.

Many thanks to Larry T. Nix who sent me this beautiful postage stamp – among others which I hopefully will have time to comment here soon.

Paulchen of the childrens library, on stamp

Today I want to add a very special bibliophilatelic issue coming from the GDR, which might be one of to most overlooked in bibliophilatelic history, to my virtual collection.

The stamp was issued november 28th 1972 being part of a set of six (Michel No. 1807-1812) dedicated to famous fictional characters of the east german childrens television. Some of them are quite famous till now – at least “Herr Fuchs und Frau Elster” (Mr. Fox and Mrs. Magpie) – others are almost forgotten (like “Schnuffel und Pieps“). One character that was completely unknow to me, is the one shown: “Paulchen aus der Kinderbibliothek” (Paulchen of the childrens library, Michel-No. 1812 ). Nevertheless it is very nice one. The very copy I have is one I just found in some album from my own childhood days which may be an explanation for its “used look”…  

The Pashkov House, on stamp

So here is another library related stamp – this time from Russia. The definitive features Дом Пашкова of the Russian State Library (Российская государственная библиотека) in Moscow, which is said to be the most beautiful building in the whole city. The postage stamp is one of fifteen from the 1992 to 1995 issued series “Monuments”. The shown one was issued 1995 an is numbered as 6122 by Scott resp. 418 by Michel Catalogue. 

 

The Russian State Library was founded in 1862 as Russias first public library. It is located near the Kremlin in the very center of Moscow. The pictured building “Dom Pashkov” however is older. Is was build from 1784 to 1787 by order of Pjotr Pashkov by the architect Vassily Bazhenov. It was heavily damaged by the big fire of 1812 and rather “decently” reconstructed until it was bought by the state in 1839. After that it was reconstructed more “costly” and became in 1862 the first public museum of Moscow (Rumiantsev Museum).  From 1925 it was the home of the Lenin Library, which was renamed in 1992 to its current name. Since 2003 it is – again – in reconstruction which will last approx. till 2008 (more on this can be found here (in Russian)).  The face value of the olive green stamp was 750 Ruble. As there was a rebasement of the Russion currency in 1998 I’m not sure whether it is still valid. It would however take some of them to stamp a letter i.e. to Western Europe. The stamp is a really plain and simple one and it’s exactly that fact which makes it to one of my favorites.

Seungjeongwon Ilgi and Baegunhwasang Chorokbuljo Jikjisimcheyojeol, on stamp

This year’s IFLA conference took us to Seoul and of course I put my eye on the stamps within my reach. I could not find any bibliophilatelic material but at least two specimen which represent scriptophilatelic resp. typophilatelic content. So I want to share them here.

Both were issued december 9 2005 and titled “Registration of Korean Cultural Treasures as Parts of the World Heritages”. The upper one shows the Seungjeongwon Ilgi, the Diaries of the Royal Secretariat (the UNESCO has a little more on this one, better background information can be found at this page)

The second stamp refers to the Baegunhwasang Chorokbuljo Jikjisimcheyojeol (Jikji), a book written by the Buddhist monk Baegunhwasang in 1372. Its second volume is said to be the world’s first printed with movable metal type (in 1377). In is part of UNESCO’s Memory of the World as well. (more on the Jikji can be found here) 

The overall quanitity of the stamps is specified by 850 000 pieces. The design was made by Kim Sojeong, the engraving came by Shin Incheol. The 310 Won postage stamps count as number 2470 and 2471 (Korea Post) and are unfortunately not as single items available at the post office’s counter – except you are lucky and find some oddments. They can be however purchased as part of the 2005 yearpack which costs about 20.000 Won (EURO 18) that is sold by most branch offices in Seoul.

Computers on Stamps, wired

It is  not all about books anymore in library world. Therefore one may think about expanding library-related philately on other media-types shown on stamps. The WIRED magazine has a nice gallery on Computers on Stamps. My favorite is the one from Micronesia showing IBM-Founder Thomas J. Watson – from who I don't know whether he is related to Desk Set's Bunny Watson – in front of classical bookstacks. Obviously the Micronesian postal administration should have done some more research because they put a slightly different name on the stamp…  

Narodna bibliotek Srbije – 140th anniversary in 1972

The stamp I want to introduce today takes us to the place where not only Danube and Save merge, viz Београд or Belgrade. Right there the National Library of Serbia was founded in 1832 short after Serboa became an autonoumos prinicpality within the Ottoman Empire. (more on the library’s history can be found here). In 1972 the Yugoslavian post administration issued a postage stamp honoring the 140th anniversary of this presumably oldest serbian cultural institution. The reason for not waiting to the 150th anniversary in 1982 was the then anon coming of the new library building by Ivo Kurtovic located at the Vračarski plato, that was officially openend april 6th  1973.

The stamp itself comes rather plain at the first view and contains some stripes-pattern which did not really gain beauty by means of digitization. However I think the image is still giving a good impression what it is about. Issue date was november 25th 1972. The face value is 0.50 dinar. The German Michel-Catalogue lists the issue as No. 1486 and counts a stamp quantity of 1996108. In the Scott’s list it runs under No. 1119. Color is said to be chocolate.

Olomouc’ research library, honored by a stamp in 1966

Today I received a big cardboard box containing enough bibliophialtelic material to keep me busy the next two years. (Thank you Larry, this is incredible..) I will post bit by bit some of the pieces right here.

The first one I picked rather randomly is a czechoslovak issue put out in 1966. It celebrates the 400th anniversary of the Vědecká knihovna v Olomouci (Research library in Olomouc) – the founding was 1566 within the Jesuit academy of  Olomouc. The graphical design was done by the slovakian graphic artist Vincent Hložník, the engraving was made by Jan Mráček.