I was about three when my Grandfather gave me a penny stamp in an old matchbox. As time progressed I joined the millions of children across the globe who collected stamps and found myself fascinated by the person who might have licked the back of the stamp to affix it to the envelope. What did the envelope contain, a love letter,a recipe, a note? The list is endless.

I no longer collect stamps, but do still have my childhood collection that began from a simple stamp in an empty matchbox.

I spotted this book in the window of a bookseller and knew that I had to buy it. It came home with me that day and the book takes us on a journey from the first stamp, a penny black in 1840 up until the last stamp in 2007.

The book contains information on 36 stamps and not just the stamps, but also social history and other snippets of information that show the history of Britain in just 36 stamps.