Rothschild; Arthur de: Histoire de la Poste aux Lettres (1st edition, Paris 1873), 335 pages, half leather bound; PLUS: 4th edition 1879 in large format, 423 pages, half leather bound. Both in good to excellent condition. Especially this 4th and last edition is very rare. – Arthur de Rothschild (1852–1904) who managed the Paris branch of the family financial empire, also formed a large and valuable collection which he later sold to Philipp de Ferrari in 1893. Co-founder of the “Société Française de Timbrologie”, he also became the first president. The “Société Française de Timbrologie” came to life on December 5, 1874 to become the second most important club in Europe, after The Philatelic Society, London (later The Royal Philatelic Society London). Prominent French ‘Fathers of Philately’ included Arthur Maury, Oscar Berger-Levrault, the Caillebotte brothers, Paul Mirabaud and Jacques Amable Legrand. – Estimate: 500 Euro
