World Cultural Stamp Appreciation Grand Illustrated Dictionary (Literators)

Author: Liu Kaiwen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: Stamp collecting is a cultural, recreational, and aesthetic activity with broad popular appeal. I am not a professional stamp collector, although I have reached the milestone of 80 years, 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 acquired new knowledge and methods in stamp collecting, further enhancing my interest and proficiency in the hobby.
Recently, Mr. Xue Dade, a veteran stamp collector from Shanghai, wrote to me, saying that he and four other stamp collectors had collaborated to compile a comprehensive illustrated catalog of stamps featuring world cultural celebrities. He asked me to write a preface. Having long been involved in cultural work and concerned about the development of stamp culture, I could not refuse and thus took the liberty of writing a few words here.
This stamp catalog is grand in scale, rich in content, and comprehensive in its coverage. Collecting such a vast number of stamps, first-day covers, and used postage stamps, as well as introducing related knowledge, requires extensive research, significant time and effort, and considerable financial investment—truly no easy feat. It is a book that excels in both content and form, serving as both a popular introduction and a professional resource for stamp collectors, as well as an excellent tool for cultural, artistic, and historical education. It is worthy of recommendation to a broad readership, particularly to fellow stamp enthusiasts and, especially, to young friends.
Of course, this catalog primarily uses stamps to help readers gain a basic understanding of world cultural celebrities. Its role is akin to a signpost, guiding readers toward these figures. To truly delve into their life stories and artistic achievements, however, one must directly read their works and consult authoritative biographies and research studies to truly enter their inner world, appreciate their significant contributions to human civilization, and grasp their brilliance and greatness. If this catalog can inspire readers to undertake such exploration, its achievement would be immeasurable!
This catalog features nearly three thousand renowned cultural celebrities from around the world, primarily including artists, musicians, writers, playwrights, filmmakers, and Nobel laureates (divided into 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 accomplishments of cultural figures but also, guided by the philosophy of stamp collecting, showcasing their portraits, works, and other scenes through a rich array of stamps, first-day covers, postage stamps, and (limitation postcards), making it a book of vivid illustrations.
The arrangement of cultural celebrities 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, they are listed in chronological order according to their era of prominence. In the fifth volume, Nobel laureates are arranged by their award years due to their unique circumstances.
For easy reference to the countries, regions, and issue dates of the stamps, the catalog uniformly places relevant annotations in the upper corners of the stamps. The names of countries are marked according to their names at the time of issue. The national affiliations of cultural figures are categorized based on their primary activity periods. World cultural celebrities are listed with both Chinese and foreign names, while Chinese cultural figures are generally annotated using pinyin.