About the EditorsThomas J. Alexander is the lead editor and key developer of this seminal work. Alexander’s early and continued guidance for this project led to its initial inception and its 14-year work towards completion. Tom Alexander is a former member of the Smith-sonian National Postal Museum’s Council of Philatelists, a consultant to The Philatelic Foundation, former chair of two American

Philatelic Society committees, and past president of the U.S. Phila-telic Classics Society, for which he has served as editor of the 1851 section of The Chronicle for more than 20 years. He is the author or editor of numerous publications, including the 949-page United States 1847 Cover Census (2001). His many philatelic awards include the American Philatelic Society John N. Luff Award for research and the Collectors Club of New York Lichtenstein Medal and the Smithsonian Philatelic Achievement Award (2004).

Barbara R. Mueller, through her research and writings, has had an exceptional influ-ence on American philately. Her first book, Common Sense Philately, published in 1956, gained her national recognition as a young woman. She is one of only four philatelists to have received the American Philatelic Society’s John N. Luff Award twice. Mueller was the editor of the Essay Proof Journal

from 1963 to 1993 and the American Philatelic Congress Book from 1986 to 1990. For her services to philately she has received most of the major awards in U.S. philately, including the Alfred F. Lichtenstein Memorial Award of the Collectors Club (NY), and the Smithsonian Philatelic Achievement Award from the Smithsonian NPM. In 2009, she signed the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists in the United Kingdom.

The late George Brett was a prolific writer and contributed more than 500 articles to the Bureasu Issues Association/U.S. Stamp Society journal. He wrote a seminal book on stamp printing, The Giori Press: A Compre-hensive Study of Current Stamp Production at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (1961). He was a member of the Citizens’ Stamp Ad-visory Committee 1961–63. Among his honors

were the Lichtenstein Medal of the Collectors Club of New York, the APS John N. Luff Award, the Distinguished Philatelist award of the U.S. Philatelic Classics Society, the Writers United Hall of Fame, and the Philatelic Achievement award of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Postal Museum (2004).

The late W. Wilson Hulme began collecting stamps in his childhood and was a serious collector and philatelic researcher for 30 years. Before joining the National Postal Museum as Curator of Philately, Hulme was a member of the museum’s Council of Philatelists. A life member of the U.S. Philatelic Classics Society, he was serving as president of the or-ganization at the time of his death at the age of

60 in 2007. A world-respected expert on the subject of stamp sepa-rations, he was a life member of the American Philatelic Society, the Confederate Stamp Alliance, the Collectors Club of New York, and the American Philatelic Research Library. Until the time of his death, he was working closely with Editor Thomas J. Alexander to bring forth this book as an important Smithsonian National Postal Museum project.

The Travers Papers:

OFFICIAL RECORDSUnited States Postal History

and Postage Stamps1834-1851

Volumes I & II

At Last...After 14 years of work, one of the ten greatest books in the history of American philately is finally here:

Compiled By

Thomas J. AlexanderGeorge W. Brett • W. Wilson Hulme II

Edited By Barbara R. Mueller

In Cooperation WithThe Smithsonian National Postal Museum

Washington, D.C.

James E. LeePublisher

P.O. Box 36 • Cary, IL 60013-0036Jim@jameslee.com • (847) 462-9130

www.jameslee.com

For the first time inAmerican philately...

• The full-scale total story—the un-precedented, comprehensive compila-tion and study of how the first postage stamps of the United States were devel-oped, designed, produced, issued and used.

• The “Introduction” in Volume I that, in itself, is a captivating story of Arthur Travers, the tragedy of his life—and then his role as one of the greatest contribu-tors ever to American philatelic history.

• Never-before-released, untouched documents relating to the birth of Amer-ican postage stamps.

• Unprecedented research into Postal Reform, how it came to America, and its influence on our first stamps and early postal history.

• Highly readable commentaries by the editors—most especially Thomas J. Alexander (perhaps our greatest liv-ing scholar on the advent of America’s stamps)—add to and explain the vital original documents published herein.

• Color photo section showing all the important individuals who affected the development of our first stamps.

• A DeLuxe clothbound 2-volume set of books (in slipcase)—a lasting, vital monument to United States philately.

Order FormThe Travers Papers:OFFICIAL RECORDSUnited States Postal History and Postage Stamps 1834-1851 Volumes I & II

James E. LeePublisherP.O. Box 36

Cary, IL 60013-0036

Please send me the DeLuxe Two-Volume Slipcased Edition of The Travers Papers | OFFICIAL RECORDS | United States Postal History and Postage Stamps 1834-1851 at the pre-publication price of $225.00 plus $15.00 shipping (domestic) | $60.00 (foreign).

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Shipping Information: The Travers Papers Two-Volume Edition is expected to emerge from the bindery in early No-vember and will be shipped to recipients shortly thereafter.

A 1,300-page Book for the Ages...Its contents rich with the earliest—and most important—history of the birth of America’s stamps.

A Sampling of the Contents: INTRODUCTION • The Travers Papers • POSTAL REFORM • General Commentary • British Reform • United States Reform • Private Expresses • Franking Privilege • Newspaper Postal Rates • Mail Transportation Change • Post Office Department Conflagra-tion • Daniel Webster Resolutions • George Plitt Report • Duff Green Re-port • Senate Committee Majority Report regarding postal reform • House Committee Minority Report regarding postal reform • Questions put to the British Post Office and answers • Postal Reform Act of March 3, 1845 • Senate Committee Report embodying “Manifest Destiny” concept • Five Postal Reformers: Cave Johnson • Robert H. Morris • Selah R. Hobbie • John Marron • George Bancroft

ERA OF RAWDON, WRIGHT, HATCH & EDSON • General Com-mentary • Postal Act of March 3, 1847 • 1847 Stamp Production, • Distri-bution, Usage & Demonetization • Selah R. Hobbie Report • United States Mail Packets • General commentary • Thomas J. Rusk Report on Building U. S. Steam Packets • Anglo-American Postal War • General Commentary • U. S. Retaliatory Postal Act of June 27, 1848 • City Carriers • General Commentary

APPENDICES • I. Guide to the Archives of the Government of the United States in Washington: Post Office Department • II. Conflagration—Post Office • III. Canadian Stamp Contract with Rawdon, Wright, Hartch & Edson • IV. British Records: Contracts Creating Cunard Mail Packets 1839-1841: Transatlantic Route • Treasury Letter Books • V. Postal Re-form: Cheap Postage Association • VI. United States-Great Britain Postal Convention: December 15, 1848. 1273 VI. United States-Great Britain Postal Convention: December 15, 1848

Shown at right: the front cover of Volume I.

At left: Postmasater General Cave Johnson. Joseph Steinmetz

Arthur M. Travers1870-1951

Asher Durand

President James K. Polk’s Cabinet

Record Book of 1847 stamps delivered to postmasters

IMPORTANT!This special pre-publication offer expires on October 15, 2011, or sooner if the edition is sold out.