Customer Reviews

Stamp Collecting For Dummies

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have always thought the Dummies series of books were some of the best-written "How To" books on the market. This one lives up to that reputation.

Mr. Sine has produced a well-written, clear guidebook for both new and experienced collectors. He manages to cover the subject without getting bogged down in the jargon of the hobby. His style and wit are welcome in a hobby whose literature can at times be very dry.

This is a good guide to a great hobby.

When you are American and want to start a collection of American stamps, this is the book for you.
The book contains some really nice tips e.g. how to set up a reference collection. However, I would have like to see some more technical stuff e.g. on how to identify watermarks (and especially when its not straightforward). It also is a pity that the author spends a lot of time on American stamps (and I am not American :) ), askPhil and the fact that you can also start a thematic collection. In so many pages the author could and should have covered a lot more ground.
So definitely not a book for intermediate level collectors or people interested in the world outside the USA.

This volume in the 'Dummies' series is written with a humorous light touch that makes it especially attractive to the Dummy who knows he is one and doesn't need to be reminded that he is one by being frog-marched through impenetrable jargon. In addition, Richard Sine or his editor have had the foresight to break the topics he treats up into very small sections and subsections.

The result is a light-hearted but content-rich introduction to the topic, one that this reviewer is only beginning to explore.

I cannot imagine a more effective starting point for the would-be stamp collector or - like me - the person who needs to know before he invests time and treasure whether this is something he's going to be able to manage.

I have always thought the Dummies series of books were some of the best-written "How To" books on the market. This one lives up to that reputation.

Mr. Sine has produced a well-written, clear guidebook for both new and experienced collectors. He manages to cover the subject without getting bogged down in the jargon of the hobby. His style and wit are welcome in a hobby whose literature can at times be very dry.

This is a good guide to a great hobby.

This book is a little dated because it was written about 11 years ago- the statistics are old and the info about web sites info is not up to date. The suggestions about getting stamps from family and friends (Chapters 7 & 8)are no longer possible for most Americans, and the info about finding local stamp dealers is no longer valid - but just about everything else is correct and accurate. And, there are a few errors - see if you can find two mis-labeled photos of stamps in chapter 11. This book has much that is a big help to beginners and even intermediate collectors, and is written in a style that is easy to read. Very helpful and informative. After 53 years of stamp collecting, even I learned a couple new things! Well worth adding to your library, even if you have been collecting for a long time and think you know it all! Robert W. Martin, Life Member American Philatelic Society

But where is there an informative explanation of the story behind each stamp? The stories would be very educational for every collector about American history and culture. Each stamp is an honor to its pictured subject---a story made more easy to visualize, remember and study as deeply as one's curiosity selects.

HAVNT READ THE ENTIRE BOOK YET-BUT I WAS LOOKING FOR HOW TO SELL STAMPS AND HOW MUCH THEY WERE WORTH-SINCE I HAVE OVER 10'000 STAMPS THIS IS GOING TO BE A MAJOR PROBLEM-OTHERWISE THE BOOK IS OK-BUT IT ISNT VERY GOOD FOR PRICING OR SELLING