World Cultural Stamp Appreciation (Musicians)

Author: Xue Dade, Editor-in-Chief; Shi Yiping, Compiler
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-05-01
Features: Stamp collecting is a cultural, recreational, and entertaining activity with broad popular appeal. I am not a professional stamp collector, although I have reached the age of 60 (the "mǐshòu" or 60th birthday in the Chinese lunar calendar), I still undertake significant compilation tasks and engage in numerous social activities. However, 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, an elderly stamp collector from Shanghai, wrote to me, mentioning 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. Given my long career in cultural work and my interest in the development of stamp culture, I felt unable to 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 an outstanding work in both content and form, serving as both a popular and professional resource for stamp collectors, as well as an excellent tool for cultural, artistic, and historical education. It is highly recommended to a wide 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, readers must directly engage with their works and authoritative biographies or research studies. Only then can they truly enter the inner world of these celebrities, appreciate their significant contributions to human civilization, and recognize their brilliance and greatness.
If this catalog inspires readers to explore this path, its achievement would be immeasurable!
This five-volume set includes:
- Artists: Features over 600 prominent world painters, sculptors, artisans, and architects.
- Musicians: Collects over 500 composers, instrumentalists, and singers.
- Literati: Encompasses over 700 novelists, essayists, poets, and literary critics.
- Theater and Film Artists: Includes nearly 500 playwrights and performing artists.
- Nobel Prize Winners: Covers laureates in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, peace, and economics from each edition.
Together, these volumes present portraits or works of approximately 3,000 cultural celebrities on stamps, accompanied by concise and informative descriptions of their life stories and significant contributions. The selected stamps, first-day covers, and used postage stamps are all rare and exquisite, with compact and elegant designs, offering a refined visual artistic experience.
This book blends knowledge and appreciation, serving as an enlightening and enjoyable read.
The catalog integrates knowledge with artistic appreciation. It not only provides concise introductions to the lives and achievements of cultural celebrities but also, through the lens of stamp culture, showcases their portraits, works, and other scenes using a wealth of stamps, rare first-day covers, postal cards, and maximum cards, creating a richly illustrated experience.
The arrangement of celebrities follows a consistent order based on continents and geographical regions, with adjustments made to reflect their historical contributions to world civilization. Within each country, cultural celebrities are listed in chronological order by era. In the fifth volume, Nobel Prize winners 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 the official names at the time of issue.