The Royal Philatelic Collection By Sir John Wilson
Editor Clarence Winchester
1952 - London - The Viscount Kemsley at the Dropmore Press
14" by 10" - Approx. 700 pp

This book is by many book collectors and philatelists considered as the most beautiful philatelic book ever published.

Full crushed morocco leather binding with attractive gilt tooling to spine and crest to front board. Complete with publisher's slipcase which is illustrated with twelve lovely colour plates, as well as many in black and white and portraits of King George V and VI.

George V of England (1865-1936) was well-known as an avid and knowledgeable collector of stamps of Great Britain and the British Empire. He also collected stamp designs, envelopes, proofs, and other stamp-related material; his favorite item however, was a mint block of four. The collection had its own staff, which, among other things, had the responsibility of marking up dealer's catalogues for possible acquisitions, which the King would then consider. George VI (1895-1952), also a collector, kept his collection separate from that of his predecessor, and these became known as the Red (George VI) and Blue (George V) collections. This catalogue begins with a lengthy discussion of the history and general contents of the royal collections, with a list of earlier collections acquired by George V, followed by an explanation of the method of entry. The catalogue itself follows the divisions of the British Empire: Great Britain and British posts in Europe, British N. America (inc. Caribbean possessions), British Africa, British Asia, and British Australasia. Entries are arranged by country/administrative area and then by year and stamp value, except that British stamps go by the date of registration of successive plates. The entry for each stamp indicates colours, the number present in each format and state (singles, strips, blocks, used, unused, on envelopes, etc.), condition, peculiarities, and other relevant details, sometimes with annotations.

The stated object here was to provide a record of unusual items from the collection, and one sees here designs, rarities, misprints, cancelled envelopes and the like. An important reference tool.