Polish version | French version | German version | Spanish version

Bibliophilately

The word bibliophilately is a combination of two words: Greek biblion meaning a written page, and then a book; and filately (French philatelie) meaning the stamp collecting.

Bibliophilately, the term I used for the first time in 2000, is intended to be understood as a collection including philatelic material, thematically connected with books and education. Bibliophilately is also one more way to the "love of books," through which one can engage in the study of a book, its history and its part in civilization, as well as increase one's knowledge about philately. Therefore, bibliophilately brings together bibliophily and philately, giving this kind of collectorship a new message in the period considered by some as "the decline of Gutenberg's era."

Bibliophilately is a general term for the comprehensive thematic collection consisting of several sub-themes that include essential traits of bibliophily, which means treating a book as a material phenomenon, but also emphasizing its educational role, particularly noticeable in schools an universities, with the participation of teachers and prominent educationists. Among the sub-themes, there are ones indirectly connected with the history of a book, but they have been included in the general theme on account of their significance. This refers, for example, to mural drawings, which are the world's oldest libraries; and to the so-called torch of learning, a symbol of knowledge always depicted on book-related stamps.

Essential sub-themes of bibliophilately include:

• The origins and history of manuscript
• Writing materials and appliances
• History of print, printing offices and printers
• Book-bindings, printer's marks and bookplates
• Libraries
• Book trade, exhibitions and promotion of books
• Books as a main theme on stamps
• Education as a subject on stamps
• Teachers and great educationists
• Schools
• Colleges and universities
• Great people in service of a book
• Bibliophily and bibliology

The forming and expanding of a collection is an individual creative work of a collector, so the sub-themes mentioned above are only author's suggestions.

The collectors contacts so far allow considering the subject attractive and, because of as yet faint interest shown by philatelists, also exclusive. Intended for book-lovers, it requires knowledge and effortin acquiring philatelic material, without any fear of excess. Socially, it is extremely useful, and at the same time satisfies even a fastidious individual passion of a collector. Also, it is extremely interesting because it releases creative invention at the expansion of the collection, giving a collector-bibliophile great satisfaction.

I invite you to exchange philatelic material and to convey pieces of information about your own collections. I offer duplicates and my help at completing collections.

I propose to arrange an international thematic group named Bibliophilately.