The Madman’s Guide to Stamp Collecting

Price: $17.95
(as of Aug 02, 2026 13:31:41 UTC – Details)


A fascinating, one-of-a-kind journey through the obsessive world of collecting (and stamps) by maverick historian and cult writer Robert Irwin.
“[A] delightful mishmash of quotations, digressions, obscure facts, arcane anecdotes and playful romps.” — Literary Review
Why do we collect? Is it to rescue objects from oblivion? Is it a kind of desire—or even a kind of madness?
Robert Irwin—novelist, historian, translator, collector—was a true original; a virtuoso thinker who combined encyclopaedic knowledge with boundless curiosity. In this ‘mosaic of fiction, philosophy, sociology, biography and autobiography’ he takes us on a wayward journey through the art of collecting, and his own intellectual passions.
Drawing on a treasure-trove of literary references from writers including Susan Sontag, Walter Benjamin, Iris Murdoch and Georges Perec, as well as a host of lesser-known geniuses, flaneurs, obsessives and eccentrics, Irwin explores everything from mysticism to nostalgia, psychology to propaganda, classical antiquity to surrealism, dreams to death. We join Thomas De Quincey on a night mail coach, encounter the man who set out to acquire every stamp ever issued, enter the shadowlands of long-vanished kingdoms and the badlands of fakes and forgeries, all in the company of a uniquely brilliant mind.
This is a one-of-a-kind book of wonders; of labyrinthine digressions, good humour and a ‘delight in small things’. It is a satisfying and unforgettable meditation on the stuff of life.
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pushkin Press
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 2, 2026
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1805337769
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1805337768
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.1 x 0.72 x 7.77 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #577,312 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #30 in Antique & Collectible Stamps (Books) #606 in Antiques & Collectibles Encyclopedias #2,180 in Author Biographies
Customer Reviews: 3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars (6) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });

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