Allen & Unwin Blue Mauritius book History English Paperback 336 pages

Follow the adventures of the world's most sought-after postage stamps - from a tropical Indian Ocean island to the husband atmosphere of the modern auction room - in a dramatic and gripping tale of the first stamp hunters.In September 1847 coloured squares of paper were stuck to envelopes and used to send out admission cards to a fancy-dress ball on the tropical island of Mauritius. No-one at the party could have guessed that these 'stamps' would one day be worth more than a million dollars. Even now, 'Post Office Mauritius' stamps remain synonymous with fame, wealth and mystery.Helen Morgan tells the fascinating story of the most coveted scraps of paper in existence, from Mauritius' Port Louis to Bordeaux, India and Great Britain, Switzerland and Japan, into the fantasies and imagination of stamp collectors everywhere.'Who among us, upon reading of this adventure, can resist another quick once-over through those musty family letters in the attic? - Simon Garfield, Wall Street Journal'Not just an entertaining and meticulously researched history of Mauritius and its stamps, but also an absorbing look at the early development of one of the world's most widespread hobbies.' - Sunday Business Post