Guide to Stamp Collecting

Stamp collecting—Philately—is a Hobby. It is one of
the great cultural pursuits of our nation and of several
other nations, notably England, France, Germany, and
Switzerland, of importance in the order named. It is of
lesser importance but nevertheless with substantial num-
bers of followers in the Benelux nations, Italy, Spain
and generally throughout Europe.
In Asia, China and Japan have long been important
centers of Stamp collecting. The Straits Settlements,
Thailand, Indonesia, India, all have important philatelic
centers and in such remote places as Afghanistan and
Ethiopia one will find stamp dealers. Many nations of-
ficially take cognizance of the hobby and newly born
nations have embraced the hobby as an important means
of developing the "person to person" efforts to have all
peoples of the world understand and live at peace with
each other.