An American edition of a British introduction to the history and fundamentals of stamp collecting. Intended mostly as a reference source, the book is arranged by topics like types of collections, methods of buying and storing stamps, and such esoterica as famous forgers and collectors. Most useful are a glossary, maps, and a diagram of the parts of a stamp. Lewis's style is more enthusiastic than elegant, and the design--with each two page spread featuring a column of text plus captioned illustrations--is crowded and often confusing. Still, there's much useful information here, and the book as a whole is more complete than other available titles on the subject. Acceptable until a better written--and better organized--book comes along. Index.