Publications for Sale and Free Downloads
We have an extensive selection of philatelic books for sale as well as back issues of The Journal. In addition, we offer a number of free downloads.
Payment can be made by cheque (drawn on a UK bank) or PayPal. (Final price will reflect post, packing and associated charges at cost). Please make cheques payable to TPO & Seapost Society.
Please contact: Keith Morris, TPO & Seapost Society, 1 St Marys Drive, Fairford GL7 4LQ, UK. Phone (+44) 01285 713 075 or:
We also list some books published independently by members of the society. See members' books.
The AM Postmarks of the Travelling Post Office by Iain Wells & Keith Morris ![]() The genesis of this book was a discussion between the authors a few years ago with the aim to bring together all the known information in one combined book with images of the various AM post marks and covers, along with tables of known dates. It also explains the official doctoring of covers and the existence of bogus AM marks that could confuse the unwary. Written and illustrated throughout with the help and assistance of many collectors, enthusiasts, societies and institutions, this book examines GB TPO postmarks with the index AM in the inner part of the hand stamp above the date. ISBN 978-0-9955071-2-8 Members: £35.50; Non-members: £35.50. |
Robertson Revisited - Second Supplement 2016 by Colin Tabeart RDP, APR, FSPH ![]() The 2016 second supplement is available both as a PDF download and in A4 printed format. The second supplement brings the 1997 edition up to date and includes colour and black & white images. It includes the data from the 2011 first supplement. Printed version: 60 pages including soft bound covers, © Colin Tabeart, ISBN 978-0-9955071-0-4 2016. Members: £10.00; Non-members £11.95. |
The Maritime Mail Cancellations of Great Britain by Mike Dovey ![]() This title brings the whole subject of Maritime Marks to the fore instead of being a Cinderella subject as it has been in the past. It includes data dealt with previously by Colin Tabeart and by Dovey & Morris and adds new examples, filling in the middle ground in the world of maritime philately. The book is nearly 150 pages, in colour, and packed with the very latest information on the subject. A4, soft bound, ISBN number 978-0-9569662-8-5. Members: £24.95; Non-members: £24.95 |
The Shipping Postmaster Cancellations of South Africa by Mike Dovey ![]() This book is based on the collection of Society member Dr J. Frank who has one of the best collections in the world. Using his collection it was possible to draw nearly all of the known marks available from the period when these marks were in use and the few missing ones just happened to be held by one other collector. The book consists of over 40 pages all in full colour showing all of the known marks with not just a diagram but a copy of an actual cover with the exception of one mark that is still to be found. It is a must for any keen collector of maritime cancels and would be a welcome addition to any member’s library. (A4 size, softbound). Members: £12.95; Non-members £12.95 |
The Railway Station, Mail Agent & Stationary Sorting Office Postmarks of India 1862-1924 by Christopher JS Bartlett ![]() This new book details the history and postal markings of the railway station post offices, mail agents and stationary sorting offices of India in the period from 1862 to 1924. As such it fills a gap in India's railway related postal which has existed since publication over 40 years ago of Martin’s book on Indian travelling post offices. It is based on many years study in the India Office Library in London, and includes illustrations, details and dates of use for all known marks and an index. 64 pages with 8 in colour, A4 size, softbound, ISBN 9780956966247 Members: £18.00; Non-members £20.00 |
Seaposts of the USA By Roger Hosking ![]() Roger Hosking's timely new book updates everything that has been written in past years in a convenient and readily accessible form, and adds a considerable amount of new information - particularly in the area of tax marks, missent and other ancillary markings which are perhaps less easily found than the mainstream cancellations. Members: £24.00; Non-members £27.00 |
The Transatlantic Post Office By Roger Hosking ![]() Roger Hosking's book published in June 1979 covers the joint Anglo-American sea post office service 1904 to 1914. It contains back-ground material not covered in the later work, Sea Posts of the USA (page 73). Soft cover with b/w illustrations of marks and covers. A4, 19 pp. Members: £6.00; Non-members £8.00 |
Postal Markings of the Holyhead & Kingstown Packet By AD Lovelock ![]() The postmarks of the floating Post Office on board the various steamers of the City of Dublin Steam Packet Co, which sailed between Holyhead and the Irish harbour of Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire), have long held a fascination for postal historians. Every type of postmark and supplementary mark used in the 65 years of the operation of the Post Office is shown along with many colour illustrations of the steamers, on which they were used. Members: £19.00; Non-members £21.00 |
The Irish Mail By Cyril Kidd ![]() A history of TPOs by rail and sea from England to Ireland from 1850-1940 with examples of all known cancellations, the Irish mail has always been a fascinating subject to study with its Irish connections via the ships at Holyhead as well as its journey through England and Wales to London. Members: £6.00; Non-members £8.00 |
An Introduction to Ocean Letters By Roger Hosking ![]() This work covers a period of time less than 40 years during the early part of the 20th century in which Ocean Letters were conceived, introduced, promoted and forgotten. The history is recorded here with great care and attention to detail. Members: £12.00; Non-members £13.50 |
The Travelling Post Office Cancellations of Great Britain & Ireland by Keith Morris and Mike Dovey ![]() This volume of work came out of visiting philatelic events around the country and seeing other collectors with their own notebooks listing items required for their collections, sitting at the dealers' tables and using them to check for missing items. The aim of the book is not to write the history of each line and TPO route, as this has already been done, but to give an accurate as possible listing of all known cancellations and their various indexes together with as many illustrations as possible and with luck this is what we will have achieved. A4 soft bound, 250 pages including cover in colour, ISBN 978-0-9569662-6-1. Members: £35.50; Non-members £39.50 |
Blue Star Line by Mike Dovey and Ken Bottoms ![]() This publication is based on the fantastic work of Society member Ken Bottoms who built a database for the Blue Star Line list of vessels that cannot be equalled. It was supplemented by the co-author who found over 620 superb photo-graphs of the vessels, many of which must be seen to be believed. Add to this the philatelic element of showing the majority of vessels with covers used by paquebot from around the world and we have a book that will stand the test of time for years to come, and for content will probably never be beaten. Anyone who has a passion for British shipping (or any shipping) will spend many an hour, or longer, perusing this mammoth 180 plus page book, printed in full colour where possible. Members: £28.50; Non-members £28.50 |
The Bombay - Aden Sea Post Office: Timetables & Statistics for the Sailings by Mike Dovey ![]() This supplement to the Bombay - Aden Sea Post Office by Dovey and Bottrill, shows the sailings in a simplified form and the latest list of Sea Post Offices known. New to this collecting area are Statistics for the sailings of the ships showing the vessels that made the most voyages down to the one ship that made the least. These statistics indicate the rare sailings and those that are well known. The book may be used standalone or to complement the larger book. Large (A4) paperback (soft cover), 72 pages with PPC's in colour. Members: £12.50; Non-members £12.50. Both books purchased together - |
The Bombay - Aden Sea Post Office by Mike Dovey & Peter Bottrill ![]() This is the very latest publication on the subject of the Bombay - Aden Sea Post Office 1868 - 1914; it is printed in full colour with a nearly complete record of available and known cancellations together with a copy of the actual mark on cover. The vast majority of covers come from the collection of one gentleman - Peter Bottrill - a truly amazing feat! This is the first book to show every illustration as it actually is. It is in a very simple easy to follow format to suit every collector from the avid beginner to the most accomplished. Large (A4) paperback (softcover), 176 pages. Members: £32.95; Non-members £32.95 |
Andrew Weir Shipping / BANK LINE / UNITED BALTIC / MacAndrews & Co by Mike Dovey & Ken Bottoms ![]() This book deals with all areas of Andrew Weir Shipping and is probably the most comprehensive book written to date listing all of the vessels and what happened to them, especially after their use with the company. It is illustrated with as many photographs of the ships in the post 1945 period as possible together with envelopes showing the cachets of the various vessels and the variety of ports that they visited. This book is a superb historical listing with extra photographs brought alive with ships' cachets and paquebot covers actually created and posted from on board the vessels. Members: £26.95; Non-members: £26.95. |
The Postal History of the Union Castle Line Including Union & Castle Lines By Mike Dovey ![]() Inspired by a display of 16 pages Mike Dovey has expanded into more than 70 pages to cover all facets of the Line. It is now a pictorial history of the Union Castle Line. Members: £17.95; Non-members: £19.95. |
TPO Postmarks of Great Britain 1990-2004 By RM Stubbs ![]() The demise of the UK Travelling Post Office in January 2004 marked the end of an era in the delivery of mail throughout the British Isles. Robin Stubbs has now brought the story up to date with a valuable record of the final years up to and including closure of the system, with illustrations of all the cancellations and other marks known to have been issued by TPO Section. The latter include the elusive Christmas Bag Tender marks, which were not generally available to the public. Members: £12.00; Non-members £14.00 |
Travelling Post Offices & Bag Tenders of Great Britain & Ireland By Allan Harvey ![]() An operational history covering the period from 1839 to 1959; written by a former travelling inspector. It provides a comprehensive guide to the TPOs and bag tenders of the British Isles carefully researched over many years. Members: £8.00; Non-members £10.00 |
Commemorative Last Day Cover of UK TPOs ![]() ![]() Complete with insert containing history and notes Members: £5.00; Non-members £5.00 |
For book ordering details return to the top of the page. Page Top
TPO Journal Back Issues: Volumes 1 to 70 on DVD

The Journal of the TPO & Seapost Society Volumes 1 to 70 (1947 to 2016) with a comprehensive Index of Volumes 1 to 71 (1947 to 2017) is available on DVD.
This is your opportunity to own the Society Magazines allowing you to have unrivalled access to seventy years of research and recording on every aspect of the railway and ship mail. We have included a full index file with over 14500 entries and as many Journals as we can fit on to one DVD. Details here.
TPO & Sea Post Society titles now out of print
- Ocean Letters - A Sequel by Roger Hosking
- TPO Postmarks of Great Britain 1962-1990 by R Stubbs & GP Roberts
- Railways of West Wales by Chris Whitehead
- British Pleasure Steamer Cachets by Crawford Alexander, Mike Dovey & Geoff Ellerton
- Paquebot Cancellations of the World, 4th Edition by Mike Dovey & Keith Morris
- Norwegian Railways - Postal Connections and Cancellations by Eric N Jackson
Links to downloads available from the TPO & Sea Post Society
- Robertson Revisited - Second Supplement 2016 by Colin Tabeart.
- Australia-UK Mails The Accountancy Period 1854 to 1857 by Colin Tabeart
- Catalogue of Hungary TPO Marks by Lutz Ihnken [November 2015]
- The Queensland Royal Mail by Colin Tabeart, January 2017
- Early voyages of the Orient Line between England and Australia, 1877-1879 by Colin Tabeart
- Cumulative Index of the TPO Journal
Details of books published independently by members
The following links are to pamphlets describing the books and details for obtaining them.
- The Travelling Post Offices (Ambulancias) of Chile, 2012, by Alan Codling.
- The Travelling Post Offices of Uruguay, 2012, by Jay Grace Walmsley.
- Australia New Zealand UK Mails Volume 1 to 1880 and Australia New Zealand UK Mails Volume 2 – 1881-1900, 2013 by Colin Tabeart.
- Admiralty Mediterranean Steam Packets, 1830 to 1857, 2nd Edition, 2014 by Colin Tabeart.
- The Travelling Post Offices of Mexico – Second Edition, 2014, by Jay Grace Walmsley FRPSL
- British West African Mail Packets to 1900, 2015, by Colin Tabeart.
- Railway Mail in Slovakia and Ruthenia, 2015, by Dr AM Goodbody