A Grand Illustrated Catalog of Stamp Appreciation for World Cultural Figures. Artists

Author: Xue Dade
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: Stamp collecting is a cultural, recreational, and appreciative activity with broad popular appeal. I am not a professional stamp collector, although I have reached the age of 60, I still undertake heavy compilation tasks and engage in numerous social activities, yet I still enjoy stamp collecting. Stamp collecting has indeed brought me much joy in my leisure time, and through interactions with other stamp enthusiasts, I have continuously supplemented my knowledge and methods of stamp collecting, further enhancing my interest and proficiency in the hobby.
Recently, the elderly stamp collector Mr. Xue Dade from Shanghai wrote to me, saying that he had collaborated with four other stamp collectors to compile a large-scale illustrated catalog for appreciating stamps of world cultural figures. He asked me to write a preface. As someone who has long been engaged in cultural work and is also concerned with the development of stamp culture, I could not refuse and thus took the liberty of writing a few words here.
This catalog of stamp appreciation is grand in scale, rich in content, and comprehensive in its categories. Collecting so many stamps, first-day covers, and used postage stamps, as well as introducing related knowledge, requires extensive research, a significant investment of time and effort, and considerable financial resources—truly no easy feat. It is a book that excels both in content and form, serving as both a popular introduction and a professional resource; it is not only about stamp collecting but also about art, culture, and history education. It is worthy of recommendation to a broad readership, to all stamp enthusiasts, and especially to young friends.
Of course, this catalog primarily uses stamps to help readers gain a certain understanding of world cultural figures. Its role is akin to a signpost, guiding readers to approach these individuals. To truly delve into their life stories and artistic achievements, however, one must directly read their works and authoritative biographies and research studies to truly enter their inner world, understand their significant role in the history of human civilization, and appreciate their outstanding contributions and greatness. If this catalog can inspire readers to explore this path, then its achievement would be immense!
This catalog includes nearly three thousand renowned cultural figures from around the world, primarily divided into five major categories: artists, musicians, writers, dramatists and filmmakers, and Nobel Prize laureates (in five volumes), covering most important humanities and prominent natural sciences. It combines knowledge with artistic appreciation, not only providing concise introductions to the lives and achievements of cultural figures but also, guided by the culture of stamp collecting, showcasing their portraits, works, and other scenes through rich stamp images and relatively rare first-day covers, postal stamps, and maximum cards, making it a book with both text and illustrations.
The arrangement of figures in this catalog follows the geographical order of continents and countries, with adjustments made based on their historical contributions to world civilization. Within the same country, figures are arranged in chronological order according to the era in which they lived. In the fifth volume, Nobel Prize laureates are arranged in the order of their awards due to their special circumstances.
For the convenience of readers in referencing the countries, regions, and issue dates of stamps, this catalog uniformly places relevant reference text in the upper corners of the stamps. The country names of stamps are marked according to the country names at the time of issue. The national affiliations of cultural figures are categorized based on the country where they primarily lived and worked. World cultural figures are listed with both Chinese translations and their foreign names. Chinese cultural figures are generally annotated using Pinyin.