It’s In The Post, by Richard Wolfe (Craig Potton Publishing, RRP $40):
All the emailing and texting going on these days must make it hard for the budding stamp collectors out there, which is really a shame.
When I was a kid, bills arrived with stamps on the envelopes, as did birthday cards and Christmas cards, letters from pen pals.
Now, bills have prepaid numbers and the closest thing I have to a pen pal is the junk mail catalogue for a certain large red building where everyone gets a bargain.
Stamps are more than just a payment for postage and social historian Richard Wolfe recognises this.
An avid stamp collector as a boy, he inherited his father’s collection of New Zealand stamps and that no doubt had a big influence on this book.
Over the years we’ve had some memorable stamps, some graphic gems that have celebrated our achievements, our history and our spirit.
Looking at the stamps that have been printed during the years is really looking at the history of New Zealand.
Divided into 25 chapters, It’s in the Post puts the various stamps in context and brings to life the story of how it came to be, giving us the stories behind our stamps.
A fascinating look at what is a colourful part of our history.