The more we dig into philately, the more questions pop up here and there on the postal service functions and on communications in general. The problems are of course more significant when reference is made to earlier times or to areas with inadequate archives. But let’s just say that, after so many years, philatelic research has discovered the methods and has produced most of the answers.
On the other hand, searching is usually not just about communications. There is a need to jump back in time and to the specific location, in order to become part of the historical and economic environment, to understand the human habits and behaviors; a need to fully explain the hows and the whys.
In this number, Katerina Papakonstantinou and Emmanouil Georgoudakis, both outstanding researchers, not philatelists, honour us, by offering a sample of each one’s own research. They share with us herein these valuable, special pieces of our continuous quest.