treasures together, and to arrange them in the best possible and most
authoritative order.

Much the same story might be told of the literature of stamp
collecting in other countries. In the United States, in France, and in
Germany there are numbers of robust periodicals, some stretching back
into the early days, and there are scores of volumes of philatelic
lore, many of which find a well-deserved place on the shelves of
English collectors.

As an indication of the value attached to philatelic literature, I may
mention the fact that an English collector recently paid over £2,000
for a by no means complete collection of works relating to stamp
collecting.




[Illustration:]

XII.

Stamps as Works of Art.


Some artists scout the idea of attempting anything that may be
considered a work of art in the ridiculously limited space of a
postage stamp. The restriction of a postage stamp when viewed
alongside a canvas measuring several yards in length and height is
probably hopeless enough. Nevertheless, many a stamp collector who is