Danmarks Avisportomærker (Denmark's Newspaper Stamps) by Lars Jørgensen. 8¼ by 11½ inches, 196 pages, perfect bound, soft covers, in Danish and English, self-published, Overijse, Belgium 2004, ISBN 87-990227-0-2. $55 postpaid from the author, Dahlialaan 6, Jezus-Eik, 3090 Overijse, Belgium.

Rates for delivering newspapers in Denmark often exceeded the subscription cost in the 18th century and also varied due to political reasons. In 1848 harmonized rates were established and rate tables for various time periods are presented in this book.

The newspaper stamps of Denmark were introduced in 1907 and were discontinued in 1916. The design was adopted from one originally submitted for a definitive series but not selected for that purpose. The printing method is described including use of a mother die and the assembly of plates.

Proofs and color trials are known and described. Other traditional stamp features are discussed including paper, watermarks, gum, perforations and marginal markings. The author presents a detailed description of the cancellations used on the newspaper stamps. The bulk of the text is devoted to details of the stamp varieties by denomination with illustrations of plate flaws tied to the printings and settings.

A pricing guide assigns values to unstamped newspapers, stamped ones, stamps on piece, examples with plate numbers, and those with different cancel types. These are followed by a more detailed listing for each stamp denomination, indicating values for mint, used, shades, blocks, and major varieties. The black and white illustrations are supplemented with several nice color plates.

The English translation appears near the end of the book rather than opposite the Danish text. A glossary, bibliography, and several appendices complete this book, which is now the significant resource for collectors of the newspaper stamps of Denmark.

Alan Warren