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FOREWORD This is Section 5.2 of my masterwork - The Bibliophiles Companion. It began as a simple listing of my ad hoc collection of published philatelic biographies of philatelists and dealers. Apart from the books and pamphlets on individual philatelists which I purchased specifically, I have come across the majority of these items whilst perusing philatelic handbooks and periodicals, as I was carrying out research for my other interests. It is by no means a systematic listing or true bibliography. The entries are linked only in that virtually every one includes a portrait of the subject in question. Even here, my treatment is uneven in that persons of interest to my own bibliographic researches are included without there necessarily being a portrait in attendance. Some portraits of philatelists, important to my researches, are included with virtually no accompanying biographical details. Late in 1999, I purchased the biographical files of the noted American bibliophile William Hagan, which were particularly strong in references to bibliophiles. The following year, Jim Negus retired from philatelic life after fifty years as a professional philatelist. Subsequently, I was the grateful recipient of two large parcels of philatelic literature ephemera which he came across as he sorted his library for sale. During the sale of his library by Cavendish in April 2001, I purchased all of his bibliographic material including his extensive files of cuttings and ephemera. That same year, Harry Hayes both donated and sold to me many items relating to philatelic literature which included much of a biographical nature. All of the biographies found in the above material have been incorporated into this bibliography irrespective of whether or not they include a portrait. Where I have found a series of biographies published together, I have included them all irrespective of whether they included a portrait or not. Inevitably, news of my compilation spread and some people were kind enough to donate material to me. This material has inevitably been incorporated in my work, in gratitude for and recognition of their kindness. As the biographical work grew, I found increasingly that it was helpful to include "biographies" of philatelic companies, in many cases inseparable from a single philatelist. e.g. Stanley Gibbons or Mekeel's, although almost always accompanied by a portrait of the premises or founder. In 2002, I began to incorporate my small collection of company brochures in this bibliography of biographies to enhance this resource. Sometimes snippets of personal information caught my fancy and I have occasionally included these under the appropriate person, prior to their list of biographies, to pique the interest of browsers. For those intrigued already, a typical example can be found under John Reginald Hooper. |