It's often a dream to become a writer. The question is usually - in which genre and what subject? Fiction, non-fiction, reference guide, etc. In some cases it can also be fun to write a simple booklet for young readers.

Your philatelic interests are one area where you can excel by putting your notes and exhibit pages to better use by publishing them. It's actually quite easy and can be an immediate boost to one's ego, never mind a benefit to fellow collectors! (How-to self-publish part 1 and part 2).

The International Peace Conference of 1899 in the Hague, Netherlands was a first step toward organized disarmament and peaceful arbitration of conflicts between countries. It was also the subject of artists and publishers depicting the people and events of the day.

This guide to the commemorative postcards produced as a remembrance of the conference for visitors to the Hague, provides a glimpse into that time through the beautiful miniature artwork depicted on these postcards.

Colombia and Peru have a long history of arguing over control of an area in southeastern Colombia known as the ‘Department of the Amazonas’. That state includes the port city of Leticia. Between 1911 and 1932, open fighting broke out between the two nations several times and claiming lives on both sides.

In an attempt to defuse the local combat begun in 1932, Colombia and Peru, both members of the League of Nations, agreed to binding arbitration by the League. Under supervision of the League’s new Leticia Commission, a military force policed the disputed area for 1 year, June 1933 - June 1934. This was the earliest use of a neutral military force under international control for peacekeeping purposes. It remains the model for peacekeeping efforts even today.

It was a time of scientific discovery and the characters in the story are all larger than life today. But, they were quite the personalities even in their day.

Othneil Charles Marsh, a paleontologist, described dozens of new species as he examined remains from the fossil rich western badlands of the Dakotas and Wyoming.

Chief Red Cloud, the highly respected leader of the Oglala Lakota tribe, led his people wisely not only in war but also in peace. The Red Cloud Agency bore his name.

Thunder Horses - Giants of prehistoric times whose very name elicits visions of Mammoths and Brontosaurs.

Combine all three and a wonderful true story of suspense and true friendship with a dose of hardship presents lessons in trust and altruism. Two things our modern culture might learn from.

The International Institute of Agriculture (IIA) was founded by David Lubin of Sacramento, California in 1905 in Rome with the financial support of King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy. The IIA was organized as an international non-governmental body in a 1906 conference with representatives of over 40 nations. It became the source of reports on agricultural law, statistics, plant diseases, fertilizers, entomology, soils, etc. This organization’s importance in the development of worldwide agriculture cannot be overstated.

Although the Institute utilized Italian postal services, it maintained an internal postal facility to track postage expenses of official mail. This guide presents history of the institute as well as examples of official mail.

This short work is derived from a single frame philatelic exhibit developed for the purpose of display at exhibitions. The exhibit has received gold awards at the national level as well as special awards. General background subjects and picture post cards have been interspersed to enhance the subject, but are not part of the exhibit proper.

The United Nations was conceived by U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1941. The League of Nations failed to end World War II through their inaction to counter the aggressive Axis Powers of Germany, Italy and Japan.Roosevelt came to the conclusion that peace was only achievable if world nations formed a new peace organization to replace the League

His legacy remains as an incredible effort in guiding the birth of a new peace organization. Roosevelt’s death left a vacuum of international leadership and the world memorialized his loss.

The Seven Schwabians is a series of German folktales. First recited by Hans Sachs in 1545, the fables relate the many misguided adventures of seven Schwabian would-be heroes oft portrayed as innocent or foolish. Such tales have been told and retold for more than four years with the storytellers adding or subtracting events, people or creatures as the creative mood strikes them.

As this work is loosely based on Grimm’s 1837 version, stories are arranged to allow better flow in one long tale.

In the honored tradition of previous storytellers, I’ve embellished, substituted or added details as my whimsey dictated. To allow one of our seven brave explorers to escape his fate in the River Mosel as did his fellow explorers, the last tale is newly penned.

Life in our planet’s oceans are often great mysteries to mankind, hiding many strange and improbable wonders. Undersea explorers have made many important discoveries, but no explorer’s efforts were more prolific or inspiring than those of Prince Albert I of Monaco (1848-1922).

His founding of the Oceanographic Institute and Museum of Monaco was the first effort to systematically study the world’s oceans. It has been one of the most generous acts on behalf of mankind to the benefit of our oceanic environments. This study presents the history and purpose of the Oceanographic Institution and Museum of Monaco. It uses various philatelic items (postage stamps including official service mail) to enhance the story line.

In collecting stamps and postal history of the League of Nations, the Radio Nations broadcasting arm of the League for ten years was never mentioned in philatelic circles as an area of interest. The radio department is overlooked by collectors as there were no special stamps or stationery used by the department.

The purpose of this book is twofold. First: It uses stamps and postcards to briefly illustrate the story of Radio Nations demonstrating how stamp collecting can present historical events in a more interesting way, especially for history buffs. Second it documents the mail sent from the station through letters and postcards.

From 1934 through 1968, mail of the Sinclair Oil Company utilized postal meter stamps with illustrated advertising and the likeness of a Brontosaurus, ‘Dino’ in the advertising slug. Examples of this mail are the earliest items to depict dinosaurs in philately. Naturally, they are the most sought after material of this thematic subject.

‘Dino’, like his counterpart of the Mesozoic Era, became extinct due to changing conditions, in his case, Atlantic Richfield’s takeover of Sinclair Oil Co. in 1969. Like fossils however, his likeness is still found on company metered mail roaming the vast and dangerous wilds of postal meter stamp philately.

The meters in this guide all include an advertising slug depicting, or referencing ‘Dino the Sinclair Dinosaur’. This material is neither plentiful or in some cases cheap, however it is a wonderful niche for the enjoyment of the hobby of collecting.