Picture Postcards

he first postcards were blank on both sides with just an instruction to write the address one side. It was only at the turn of the century that picture postcards came into general usage. They provided people with a visual record of disasters, famous people and views of places in an age without television or cinema. Collecting postcards became an extremely popular pastime in the years before the First World War but fell out of favour between the two world wars. However, since the 1970s it has enjoyed renewed popularity

Picture Postcards by C.W. Hill gives a good introduction into their history and  development from the mid 19th century to the present day. It is well illustrated with good examples of some of the most interesting postcards of various types. Collecting postcards is still a relatively inexpensive activity with prices starting at about £1 and there is a chapter in the book dealing with the subject. Overall, this is the book for you if you want to start collecting these items of social history.

Picture Postcards by C.W. Hill, 40 pages, published by Shire Books, £3.95

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