Books & Magazines

Several editions of the Zeheri catalogue - a master-work for its time in black and white - were issued from Egypt, the last in 1972, the 9th edition. A supplement was issued in 1978. Well sought-after, it being the "bible" until Smith and Balian, it has now been replaced by Balian, the Nile Post, and Egypt Stamps Handbook although there remains a tendency to use Zeheri catalogue numbers simply through familiarity over many years.

Printed on high quality paper with coloured illustrations of all Egyptian stamps up to January 1998, Leon Balian's catalogue contains all the varieties known and quantities printed, and prices the stamps in Egyptian pounds. Still in print, with further extensions promised by the author. Additions and corrections have been published in the QC.

In 2007 Stamps of Egypt Book 2 was published updating the stamps issued up to then from 1998, updates on prices and a section on the French Post Office Stamps etc.

The Nile Post, by Joseph Chalhoub with considerable contributions by Charles F. Hass, was published in 2003. It is sharply focused on stamps. Starting with the 1866 issue, essays, proofs, and a large number of plate and perforation varieties are listed in detail (selected essays, colour trials, and rarities of some issues are collected in a huge separate section, in colour). This thorough treatment is maintained throughout, even to the issues of the twenty-first century. The items are priced in US dollars.

Egypt Stamps Handbook by Magdi M. Abdel-hadi. self-published; Cairo, 2010. Vol. I, 717 pp., Vol. II, 636 pp. all in colour, that almost every plate flaw or other variety is illustrated with enlargements.

Volume I begins with an extensive introduction in which basic philatelic features are clearly explained. Volume II covers unissued stamps, commemorative stamps, miniature sheets and the postal stationery of Egypt and Sudan.

"The Book". Quite simply, this single volume comprises the basic and comprehensive source of all you could possibly want to know if you wish to collect Egypt and get to grips with its postal history. NB, it is not a stamp catalogue, and does not contain a listing; merely chapter after chapter of authoritative detail. Sections of this book can be found online in the members section.

Awarded a Large Gold medal at the 1997 Italian National Exhibition in Saluzzo, this volume is the fruit of 25 years' research, study and collecting of this fascinating episode in the rich postal history of Egypt. All aspects of the Posta Europea: its origins, the first service between Alexandria and Cairo, extensions throughout Lower Egypt, and handstamps used.

Beautifully produced in 1996, this book is based on the Large Gold Medal collection of Samir Fikry. Profusely illustrated throughout, mostly in colour, with some of the exotica of early Egyptian philately, it covers a timespan ranging from the pre-adhesive period through to that of the Egyptian Offices Abroad.

As Egypt was for many years part of the Ottoman Empire it takes its full place in this splendid book. Written in German with English and Turkish translations, it contains an Index giving the Roman and Arabic spelling of places with their map referencs, and includes all known Egyptian post offices up to 1914.

The first in-depth study of the French Offices at Alexandria, Suez, Cairo and Port-Saïd, with their locations, personnel, all known postmark varieties and copy of official documents relating to their opening and closure. This A4 sized soft-cover book is illustrated throughout in full colour with rare letters, stamps, maps, paintings and documents.

This second and final part continues from France’s entry into the UPU (1876) until the closure of the French P.O.s in Egypt in 1931. Topics covered: the Sage “Peace & Commerce” design; the UPU rates; auxiliary postmarks used in Egypt (Après le Départ, Return to Sender, AR); Military and Campaign postmarks.

Themis Dacos' remarkable study tells the story of the Greek consular post in Egypt, a land with a sizeable Greek population since the time of the Ptolemies. Published in Greek and English, it details the consular organisation, the handstamps used since 1833, and the adhesives used from 1882 to the 1970s.

This book has just gone, by popular demand, into its third and updated reprint. Update sheets have been issued for the earlier printings but it is all there in the latest edition. The volume contains all the "Air" postmarks and extends extensively beyond the mid-century listings of Blomfield.

An eighty-page book published in 1981 gives the route map of the Zeppelin's flight. Core to any study of Egypt's single Zeppelin flight, it illustrates the postmarks used, the prevailing postal rates, and draws on the diary of a passenger on board!

Published in 1983 by the Mobile Post Office Society, this volume contains drawings of all the recorded Egyptian TPO types known at the time, with routes and dates used. The whole book can be found online in the members section.

Vahe Varjabedian's book, published in 2000, is a must for those interested in perfins. It catalogues the ongoing development of the study of perforated stamps, gives the company names for initials where known, the stamps on which they are used, and myriad other details.

If it's revenues that you're interested in, then this is the book. It was published in 1982, and though more information has come to light in the past two decades, these have yet to be published.

Kehr's original booklet on Interpostals, published in 1962. It gives types and place names for each, and has a price guide (optimistic at the time).

Cockrill's update and reworking of Kehr in the 1980s. There remains a certain amount of dispute about the conclusions drawn by Cockrill.

Published in 2010 book contains drawings of all the recorded Egyptian Rural types known at the time with many illustrations References over 1,300 postmarks. An essential guide for the collector of rural postmarks.

Taarega el-barid by Chichini, all in Arabic, compiles mainly the postmark study drawings of Seymour Blomfield. It contains additional information on all-Arabic postmarks.

Produced in 1988 by Peter Feltus, this volume contains the Blomfield postmark study up to 1899, but much extended beyond just the postmark types.

A monumental tome covering the First World War. If you are into military postal history, then this is a must-have.

John Firebrace's second book comes straight off the pages of his collection of the Napoleonic, 1882 and Sudan campaigns.

First published in 1970 with a second edition privately printed in 1984, this volume covers the Postal and Letter Seals, the Xmas seals and the Army post stamps of the period of and leading up to the Second World War.

"Jim" Benians's painstakingly produced list of the Egypt Postage Paid marks was published in 1978. For each of the recorded EPP numbers the dates used and in some cases the locations are given.

Army Post Offices by Michael Sacher is now superseded by Firebrace and Kennedy and Crabb. This volume was published in 1970.

Harmer's auction catalogue for the sale by the new fledged Egyptian Republic of Ex King Farouk's collection in Egypt in 1954. Plenty of black and white illustrations.

The auction catalogue of material left by our founder, Dr William Byam, as sold in 1961.

Auction catalogue of the Danson sale in 1977. Companion catalogue for Sudan.

Many of the Feldman catalogues are good sources for Egyptian material, but this one stands out in particular. As well as illustrations of many exotic pieces the catalogue is dotted throughout with illustrations of Egyptian scenes.

Published by the FIP in 1993, this slim volume was intended as a guide to exhibiting and uses as its theme Egyptian material of the classical period.

Produced by Robbie Lowe in 1969 to publicise the sale of a unique collection of Egyptian Essays with an impeccable pedigree.

One of the Barefoot guides on forgeries, published in 1983. Gives detailed drawings to show how to detect the many forgeries of these fascinating and short-lived stamps.

“The Suez Canal Company” by Jean Boulad d’Humieres, S. Ringstrom, H.E. Tester. Ed. Leonard Hartman, USA, 1985. Based on original research in the Canal Company’s archives.

Sidebottom's classic work on the overland mail.

Part four of Khetcho Hagopian's publications issued in 1987, it gives copious details of the stamps issued by Egypt for the Gaza strip from 1948 to 1967.

A Harry Hayes reprint in 1977 of an original published in 1898. It gives names of the post offices operating at that time in an idiosyncratic transliteration.

Published by the Egyptian Postal Authority to extol the delights of collecting the stamps of Egypt, it covers the Republican issues from 1952 to 1969.

Produced by the Egyptian postal authorities for the Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1951, this 214-page volume is as much a guide to Egypt as to its stamps and postal history.

First published in 1962 and updated in 1992, La Poste Maritime Française covers the markings of the French Paquebots.