The Error World: An Affair with Stamps

I have been into stamp collecting since I was a kid. When I got this book I thought... yeah... a book about stamp collecting... what could they possibly write... but was I wrong. The book has plot, character development, and a pretty good pace. A really good read!

Simon Garfield is an excellent writer. His writing is often hilarious and always easy to read. Anyone who has ever collected anything will enjoy this book. You'll learn a little bit about the psychology of collecting as well as some of the oddball collections out there...shopping lists, LSD blotters, carpet fluff, etc. I enjoyed his musings on his childhood, parents, and obsessions. I also think he captured well the nostalgic feelings we develop as we age. I don't, however, think the affair that wrecked his 18-year marriage was integrated well with the rest of the book. Still, I found this book a fascinating read.

And to contradict some of the other reviewers, you don't need to be a fellow philatelist to appreciate this book. You *may* need to *have* been one, as I was as a young boy, or you may need to still be a collector of some sort. But I'd wager that many more people than you'd think have a collector's streak. Frankly, this is simply an elegantly written memoir. His description of how, as an eight-year-old, he came across a Post Office Tower stamp error that omitted the tower in its entirety, leaving a large white gap surrounded by the neighboring buildings, and thought that this would be the perfect stamp for his crush Melanie, who was, and still is, terrified of the edifice, is just one of the passages that has stuck with me. Recommended, obviously, if you love stamps, but also if you're a collector of any stripe, love a good memoir, or are interested in what it was like to grow up in 1960s and 1970s Britain. Funny side note: the author's family's original name was Garfunkel, so if it hadn't been for a name change, the author could very well have ended up being named Simon Garfunkel.

Reading this memoir about an on and off relationship to stamp collecting from across the pond, it was fascinating not only learning and discovering about the odd, sometimes bizarre world of collecting misprints mainly from the UK, but totally identifying with the author's near- obsession, starting in childhood, fading away in youth and early adulthood, and blazing back like a tornado in early middle age, and even beyond. The info was outstanding, the tone curious and fun, and the story thoroughly engaging thruout. So for an amusing, interesting, and maybe even profitable trip into stamps, cultures, and yes, even history, buy this book and keep it for future reference, fun, and even timelessness.

The author spins a good yarn and he is very entertaining. He doesn't mind poking fun at himself, which is good since he royally screwed up. He let his passion for stamp collecting control his life and couldn't understand why everyone else wasn't as enthralled with stamps as he was. His wife eventually left him. Not so much for the stamp collecting, although that about broke them up financially but because he was having an affair. I guess the two things combined was just too much for her. Go figure, huh. I've always liked stamps but had no urge to collect them. Reading about the different kinds was interesting though. Collecting errors certainly appeals to Simon but personally I would want the Queen's head on my copy. He tells with great candor how he went to a marriage counselor (not to save his marriage but to save his life). She wasn't interested in stamps either.... He also tells some of his past life when his parents were still alive. The writing style is easy and even though I was appalled at some of his stories...like when a parent died and he was upset but not upset enough not to collect the grievance card envelopes (for the stamps, you see). Appalled yes, but tickled too because of the way he described it. Read it, you'll love it!