Postal History

This 500-page book is a collection of round postal markings (postmarks) stamped on envelopes, from the Gold Coast region of Africa (modern-day Ghana). The author places these items of philatelic history in the context of the overall history of the region, from the first visit by Portuguese explorers in 1471, through the Republic of Ghana's achievement of independence from British colonial rule in 1957.

This pocket-sized hardcover book was published in 1946—the 50-year anniversary of rural free delivery by the U.S. postal service. The advent of rural delivery service made a big difference in the lives of farmers. Before rural free delivery, many farmers had to travel long distances to pick up their mail at the nearest post offices, or pay someone else to pick it up for them. This copy was donated by the National Rural Letter Carriers Association 40 years after publication.

This gold-covered book is especially appropriate for the Smithsonian Library's golden anniversary celebration. In the early days of the U.S. postal system, mail traveled to California overland, or by steamship, pony, jackass (pack mule), and railroad. The goal was to connect isolated California with the rest of the United States. At almost four hundred pages in length, this book contains hundreds of black-and-white photos (and a few color plates) of canceled covers—envelopes stamped by the post office so they cannot be reused as fresh postage.

This book traces the history of postal services in the Gold Coast region of Africa (modern-day Ghana) from the European "discovery" of the region in 1471, to the end of the Ashanti War in 1901. The book includes beautiful color illustrations of "cancelled covers" (envelopes) throughout.