Booknotes: Gettysburg Postcards

New Arrival:

• Gettysburg Postcards: An Illustrated Guide by Richard A. Sauers (McFarland, 2026).

I have no idea when the peak period for collecting Civil War stamps, currency, and assorted ephemera might have been. In the 20+ years of this site's existence, I can't remember any reference books associated with those things turning up in my mail. I do recall a fairly recent scholarly study of Civil War envelopes and their iconography, but such things don't pop up by my radar very often. Something that looks very worthwhile for someone interested in the topic is Richard Sauers's new book Gettysburg Postcards: An Illustrated Guide.

The collection and study of postcards is called deltiology (I just learned a new word), and Sauers notes that it is "beginning to be recognized as a valuable tool for learning about the past" (pg. 3). From the description: Sauers's study is "the first book to catalog the vast majority of postcards related to Gettysburg and its famous battlefield, including more than 2,600 cards from the advent of postcards in the 1890s to the present day, demonstrating the changing face of the battlefield and its remembrance over time."

Beginning with "a brief history of postcard publishing in America," Sauers's study introduces readers to a massive collection of Gettysburg-related postcards, the standard size of which is 3.5 x 5.5 inches. Though photographs of all 2,600 cards cannot be included, there are a great many representative examples provided in either color or B&W images.

The book is divided into two parts, one section for "major" and another for "minor" publishers and distributors. Each listing includes the publisher name and a brief summary of its history. That is followed by a number-coded card catalog. Card printer(s) are identified, and a short phrase describing the subject of each card is provided. Production era and print colors from both sides of the card are noted as are incidences of irregular sizing. Two examples of "real photo" postcards are included in the book to convey the sense of variety that existed, but Sauers largely excludes them as a category because they are "generally unique or produced in limited numbers" (pp. 5-6).

This looks like a must-have for serious Civil War postcard collectors.