A Review by Alan Warren
Bogen om danske ørebreve 1875-1902 (Book of Danish Øre Letters) by Ole Steen Jacobsen, 6¼ x 9½- inches, hardbound, 248 pages, illustrated, in Danish, published by the author, Gentofte, Denmark, 1997, ISBN 87-985542-1-2. Available for $89 postpaid from Jay Smith & Associates, Box 650, Snow Camp NC 27349.
Jacobsen's previous volume on the Skilling letters was so well received that he has now documented the later period in which the coat-of-arms and bicolor issues of Denmark were used on letters, cards and many other classes of mail. This equally impressive work is lavishly illustrated with color photos of covers and related documents that support the text. Nearly every left-hand page carries these illustrations with the text on the opposite page.
Although the text is in Danish, the Preface, Introduction, and detailed Table of Contents are also provided in English. The usage of the øre issues is discussed by class of mail service, after an introductory review of the pertinent postal laws and tables of rates. To give the reader an appreciation for what is covered, a very short list would include newspaper wrappers, mourning covers, short paid letters, endorsements for special services, ship's mail, postal stationery, insured mail, official mail, parcels and parcel cards, private firms offering special services, local posts, and mail to foreign destinations. Even postal etiquettes (labels) are described.
The next chapter is devoted to the cancellations of Denmark used during this period and includes handstamp markings for returned mail, postage due, paquebot marks, and handstamps used on foreign mail. Another nice feature is a list of postal laws and regulations that affected mail services. An extensive bibliography and list of sources, although lacking in the standard format and detail, will help researchers seeking additional information. A number of official notices concerning postal regulations, which appeared in newspapers at the time, are reproduced.
Although a detailed table of contents is provided, the book concludes with a subject index as well. The short English language section could have benefited from better proofreading to correct such things as "registrated" for registered, "danish" for Danish, "to day" for today, "note" for not, "upright and reversed frames" for normal and inverted frames, etc. The book is highly recommended for collectors of Danish postal history.
See also Danish Cancellations of the 19th Century
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