Book excerpt: Now in an easy-to-use, oversize format, The Postal Service Guide to U.S. Stamps is just the delivery you've been waiting for! The only fully illustrated, four-color guide to U.S. stamps, this official publication provides the most comprehensive information available about the U.S. stamp program and its vivid history. Beginning with the first stamps issued in 1847, The Postal Service Guide to U.S. Stamps covers more than 4,000 stamps issued up to the present, as well as: An updated Stamp Series section that lists stamps categorized by their respective series, such as Legends of Hollywood, Black Heritage, and Nature of America Every category of U.S. stamp—definitive, commemorative, airmail, duck stamps, stamped envelopes, and more—all organized into easy-to-use, color-coded sections for quick access Detailed listings for each stamp, with color illustrations, Scott catalog numbers, dates of issue, used and unused prices, quantities issued (when known), and separate listings for design variations A complete guide to the new 2006 commemorative stamp program Advice on how to start your own stamp collection A resource section, a glossary of important terms, and much more!