World Cultural Stamp Appreciation (Artists)

Author: Xue Dade
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: Stamp collecting is a cultural, recreational 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 acquired new knowledge and methods in stamp collecting, further enhancing my interest and proficiency. Recently, Mr. Xue Dade, an elderly stamp collector from Shanghai, wrote to me, saying that he had collaborated with four other stamp collectors to compile a comprehensive stamp appreciation atlas on world cultural figures. He asked me to write a preface. I have long been involved in cultural work and am also concerned with the development of stamp culture, making it impossible for me to refuse. Therefore, I have hesitantly written a few words here.
This stamp appreciation atlas is grand in scale, rich in content, and comprehensive in its categories. Collecting such a large number of stamps, first-day covers, and mailed envelopes, 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 both in content and form, serving as both a popular and professional resource; it is both a stamp collecting guide and an excellent tool for 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 atlas primarily uses stamps to help readers gain a basic understanding of world cultural figures. Its role is akin to a signpost, guiding readers to approach these individuals. However, to truly delve into their life stories and artistic achievements, one must directly read their works and authoritative biographies and research studies. Only then can one truly enter the inner world of these figures, understand their significant role in the history of human civilization, and appreciate their outstanding contributions and greatness. If this atlas can inspire readers to undertake such exploration, it will have achieved great success!
This atlas includes nearly three thousand renowned cultural figures from around the world, primarily divided into five major categories: artists, musicians, writers, playwrights 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 images through rich stamp designs, rare first-day covers, postage stamps, and (limitation postcards), making it a book rich in both text and visuals.
The arrangement of figures in this atlas 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 chronologically according to their era of activity. In the fifth volume, Nobel Prize laureates are ordered by their award years due to their unique circumstances. For easy reference to the countries, regions, and issue dates of stamps, this atlas uniformly labels relevant reference text in the upper corners of the stamps. The names of countries are marked according to the country names at the time of issue. The national affiliations of cultural figures are categorized based on their primary activity periods. World cultural figures are listed with both Chinese translations and their foreign names. Chinese cultural figures are generally labeled using Pinyin.