Travel Stories Told with Stamps

By Joshua | May 9th, 2007 | No Comments

Judeopostale is a stunning art book and compilation of short narratives, told through a gorgeous assortment of stamps, letters, postmarks, and original handwriting. Written and compiled by a French doctor and expert on Jewish stamps and history, Claude Wainstain’s first book is a unique epistolary romp—through time and across countries. Each of the 150 stories has some different connection to Judaism, including the one that begins, “One day Albert Einstein met Charlie Chaplin.”

Other stories are deeply personal, especially the love letters from the author’s father, smuggled from a concentration camp during the second world war to his betrothed in Paris.

Click the above links for the original page, or view this really crappy English translation. If you order an advance copy before October 12, you ‘ll get a special price of 39 euros for being part of the first limited printing of 500 copies.

It’s great to see the project coming to fruition. Claude has been working on it for many years. When my wife and I stayed with Claude and Jacqueline (old friends of my family) in Paris two years ago, he had not yet found a publisher. The design of the book is really creative, and Judeopostale would make a great gift—not just for stamp collectors.