FEPA News

FEPA NEWS 45 62 The World of Research Nominations for the FEPA Medal 2023 for Exceptional Philatelic Study and Research Giancarlo Morolli writes: Five works of scholarship in philately and postal history were nominated by FEPA Members to receive the FEPA Medal for exceptional study and research for 2023. All are of an immensely high standard that testifies to the strength of research in many different directions in the modern era, and we recommend them to our readers. Stavros Andreadis: Large Hermes Heads – Printings and Shades 2022, The Author, Stadtallendorf, ISBN 978-3-00-050570-6, ill., col., Herbst.juergen@web.de This bilingual book (Greek and English) is a detailed analysis of the colour shades of the Large Hermes Head (LHH), the first Greek postage stamp issue. The author defines his goal in the preface - to help the LHH collector distinguish between the various printings and shades of the LHH by representing each Hellas catalogue number with five different samples – both their front and reverse sides – in high-resolution enlarged images. He achieved his goal by (a) accurate digital reproduction of the shades through careful scanning and use of professionally calibrated state-of- the-art equipment for printing, (b) deep knowledge after years spent classifying many thousands of LHH stamps and (c) patience in supervising the printing process for each page of the book, disposing of dozens of trial pages before being absolutely satisfied with the end product. This publication provides an easy-to-use colour chart of 1144 different shades. It will be a companion for the novice and for the experienced LHH collector alike. At 26×36 cm the 160-page book is larger than the usual A4 format. It is hard-bound with a linen-wrap cover. Semaan Bassil: Mail in the Levant: BEIRUT, A case study in the early age of steamship & globalisation (1835-1914) 2023 Cedarstamps Auction House, Jdeidet El Matn, Lebanon. E-Mail: info@cedarstamps.com This publication is aimed at those who wish to learn about the inner workings of the foreign postal systems in Beirut between 1845 and 1914. 155 postal items were selected, mostly from the author’s collection, for analysis with about the same number of supporting materials. Fifteen different topics were then chosen to illustrate the foreign posts’ activities in Beirut, at that time the regional centre of the Syrian province in the Ottoman Empire which encompassed modern-day Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and South Turkey. The topics not only document the postal history but also portray aspects of the history of Beirut and its role in the region. In his research around these topics, the author found many previously unpublished primary documents and information, mainly in the French, British, and Ottoman national archives. The book does not try to duplicate other research on postmarks, postage stamps, shipping routes, and postal rates used by the different foreign posts in Beirut but gives the reader a general introductory overview of how the mail system functioned and how it affected society. The correspondence and other exchanges it facilitated not only reduced the perceived distances between people but also accelerated the flow of information and trade across continents.