For immediate release: 9 August 2011
Guernsey Stamps is proud to announce the release of a stamp issue in celebration of one of the greatest publishing successes of recent times - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a novel which has already sold three million copies worldwide.
The book, first published in 2008, is the only published work of American writer and former librarian Mary Ann Shaffer who visited Guernsey in 1980 and became interested in the wartime Occupation of the Channel Islands, which was the focus for her novel. She died before it was finished, and it was completed by her niece, author Annie Barrows who earlier this year headlined the first Guernsey Literary Festival.
A novel told entirely in letters, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society has a special philatelic resonance. Add to this the fact that the story recounted is that of Guernsey's darkest hour, and its embodiment in stamps seems inevitable. The tale begins with Juliet Ashton, a writer living in London in 1946, who receives a letter from a stranger, Dawsey Adams, a Guernsey Islander. As their correspondence flourishes, she learns of the Nazi Occupation of the Channel Islands and the deprivations suffered there; of the contraband roast-pig dinner that led to the formation of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and its brave and brilliant founder, Elizabeth McKenna.
Six stamps have been produced for this issue in values of 36p, 47p, 48p, 52p, 61p and 65p, which include references to how the Literary Society began (36p); the depiction of a bookshelf containing some of the many titles enjoyed by the Society (47p); the greatly anticipated arrival of Juliet Ashton to the island of Guernsey (48p); and the view through Elizabeth McKenna's cottage window (52p).
Author Annie Barrows said: - "I cannot think of anything that would have pleased my aunt Mary Ann more than these stamps. There is something so delightfully approving about a stamp; it seems to say that the book has entered into the collective culture. But more than that, stamps go on letters-they are the first thing to admire about a letter, in fact-and then you open the envelope and then you pull out the thin paper and crinkle it open and begin the newest instalment of the story you are dying to read. To see our story so beautifully captured in stamps is like looking through tiny windows to find that The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is real-and what could be better than that?"
Dawn Gallienne, head of philatelic at Guernsey Stamps said: - "We are thrilled with the stamps and delighted that we have been able to produce the first ever issue that celebrates the success of this inspirational book. I am confident that the stamps will appeal both to those who have read the book as well as those who have not."
The stamps are available to purchase online at www.guernseystamps.com or by contacting philatelic customer services on 01481 716486.
Press enquiries to:
Sarah Amies, pr consultant, 01484 687040/07811 133973
Dawn Gallienne, head of philatelic, 01481 733524
Stamp specification details:-
Date of issue: 28 July 2011
Designer :Charlotte Barnes
Printer: BDT International
Values: 36p, 47p, 48p, 52p,61p, 65p
Process: Offset lithography,
Stamp size: 36mm x 36mm
Paper: 110gsm unwatermarked
PVA adhesive: Sheet 10
Perforation: 13.5
Cylinder: A