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The Error World (Hardcover)

by Simon Garfield (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Hardcover: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Faber and Faber (3 April 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0571235263
  • ISBN-13: 978-0571235261
  • Product Dimensions: 17.8 x 14.2 x 2.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 193,651 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #33 in  Books > Home & Garden > Antiques & Collectables > Antiques & Collectables by Subject > Stamps

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Product Description

Hunter Davies

'The Nick Hornby of collecting.' --This text refers to the Paperback edition.


Review

'A remarkable memoir.' --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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4.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Stamp of Approval, 10 Jul 2008
By Foggy Tewsday - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)      
"Little do wives know how much men spend on their hobbies. But my wife is about to find out." After reading these two opening sentences, you just have to find out what happens next, especially as the words "marriage guidance counsellor's house" follow them very closely. Simon Garfield's weakness is stamp-collecting, a hobby he began in his childhood and rediscovered in middle age, much to the detriment, it seems, of his bank account. His main philatelic pursuit is for errors: stamps suffering from printing mishaps. A colour missing here, the Queen's head missing there - rare, often valuable, often expensive to acquire and plainly irresistible to the committed collector.

To someone who, like me, has no interest in stamp-collecting, the prospect of reading a book such as this might seem a little daunting. But this is not just some worthy tome written in the fusty code of those already in the know. Part memoir, part journalism, part social history, this is an engaging and often funny read.

On more than one occasion, the author worries about the apparent decline in his hobby. Stamp-collecting is not cool these days; there are not many iconic footballers who admit to an interest in philately. Reassurance that he is not alone in his collector mania has Garfield on the look out for similarly afflicted people. We learn of a man who collects light bulbs, and of a well-known British wrestler's collection of rusting cars.

Garfield's childhood memories contain a rich seam of anecdote: "In 1968 I had a crush on a girl who was frightened of the Post Office Tower," begins one excursion into the past. And there are some wonderfully funny teenage reminiscences about furtive visits to the grubby rear section of a bookshop in the Finchley Road. Here, well-thumbed second-hand copies of various men's magazines were available ("`Men Only', `Club International' `Health & Efficiency' at the last resort"), the owner turning a blind eye to his underage patrons.

There are also some interesting interviews included. Among them is one with a woman who, as a child, won a `design a stamp' competition on television's `Blue Peter'. Garfield had also entered the competition and fully expected to win it.

The postal reformer, Rowland Hill, seems to be a bit of a hero to the author. Garfield has included a small biography of the great man, colouring it with some fascinating British social history on the effects of the introduction of the postage stamp.

It would be stretching it a bit to label this book as stamp-collecting's answer to Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch, but Simon Garfield manages to take a dull (for us non philatelists) subject and imbue it with warmth and wit as he marks out his life with constant reference to his collection. I must admit, I did feel a little jaded towards the end of the book. The constant conversations and meetings with dealers in his search for an illusive item began to pall. Overall, though, this is a splendid read and, if you're looking for something a little different, this may well fit the bill.
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0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars "Error World" comments by GTG, 17 Feb 2009
By George99 (London) - See all my reviews
"Error World" by Simon Garfield

I collect stamp errors so could relate well to the author.
A very enjoyable read.
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