Atlantic Books, 2008. Hardcover. New hardcover in a new dust jacket. Pages are clean and free of marks or underlining. Includes a bibliography, index, glossary, and photos. 8vo. (6.26 x 1.26 x 8.5 inches) 336 pp.

Fast shipping in a secure book box mailer with tracking. New / New. Item #203404
ISBN: 9781590200773

Follow the adventures of the world's most sought-after postage stamps - from a tropical Indian Ocean island to the hushed atmosphere of the modern auction room - in this dramatic and passionate tale of the first stamp hunters.

Mauritius is famous for its dodo but there is another near-extinct export with its own fabulous story. The island was one of the first countries in the world to produce postage stamps when in September 1847 the coloured squares of paper were used to send out admission cards to a fancy-dress ball hosted by the Governor's wife. Miraculously three of the envelopes that carried them survived. No-one at the party would have guessed that 150 years later the envelopes bearing stamps from Post Office Mauritius would be each worth more than a million dollars.

Two denominations - the red one penny and blue two pence - were printed. When a two pence surfaced on the fledgling French stamp-collecting market in 1865, the 'Blue Mauritius' gained instant celebrity. Millionaire collectors were driven to bag the stamps as if they were big game. Soldiers, schoolboys and the entire German nation became obsessed. When in 1903 a perfect specimen, discovered in a childhood album, was bought at auction by the Prince of Wales, the Blue Mauritius achieved superstar status.

Even now, the 'Post Office Mauritius stamps have become synonymous with fame, wealth and mystery. The most coveted scraps of paper in existence, this is their story, from their birth during days of sail, taking them from Port Louis to Bordeaux, India and Great Britain, Switzerland and
Japan, into the hearts and imagination of collectors everywhere.

Price: $89.95