Below is a list of Railway Postal History Reference Literature that we currently have available. With these references, collectors and dealers can identify and evaluate thousands of different postmarks.
Most of these books are regular stock items, but some are available
in limited quantities. As an example, the total printing of my
Illinois Post Offices book was 418 copies. More than two-thirds
of those have been sold since it was published in February, 1996,
and I do not plan to reprint it. Such limited-edition titles are
often difficult to obtain once the original printing is sold out.
PUBLISHERS: If you have any reference literature that you would
like to make available through this page, please email 
mehrer@postal-history.com , call or write
to discuss terms.
DEALERS: If you would like to stock any of the literature that
we publish (those showing Jim Mehrer as the author), we give generous
wholesale discounts at low quantities.
Email mehrer@postal-history.com,
call or write for details.
ALL BOOKS ARE PRICED POSTPAID to U.S. addresses.
ILLINOIS RESIDENTS: Add 8.5% state sales tax to your order.
INTERNATIONAL ORDERS: Before ordering, please email us for the shipping charge.
We do not accept CHARGE CARDS, and HERE'S WHY: Card companies would take about 5 percent off the top of whatever we sold. We don't feel like giving it to them, and we would rather not raise all of our prices just for the sake of handling charge cards. (Before you write and tell us that we can negotiate a better deal than 5 percent, we know that. But whether it's 3 or 4 or 5 percent, we still don't feel like raising the prices to "cover" it, as they say.) We were accepting payments through an online payment service for awhile, but then they started charging for their services, too. Maybe things will change someday.
We regret that we're unable to send "bill with" orders, but that just adds to the paperwork, and we've got plenty to do without the extra load. Exceptions: If you're a long-time customer of ours, and you're experiencing some kind of major "reference literature emergency" that won't allow you to wait a couple of extra days, give us a phone call (309 / 786-6539) and we'll discuss the possibilities.
U.S. Railway Post Office Postmark Catalog. (Charles L.
Towle, Fred MacDonald, et al.): This is the completely revised
update of the original U.S. Transit Markings Catalog Volumes II
& III. All reported RPO markings (more than 13,000) are recorded
alphabetically, fully illustrated, with complete data: shape,
dimensions, colors, dates of usage recorded, unusual killers,
special notes, location of stations/terminals, terminals of routes,
mileage of routes, catalog numbers, etc. PLUS a VALUATION SYSTEM.
This is THE catalog for U.S. Railway Post Office postmarks. Also
includes "U.S. Transit Markings Catalog / Volume IV"
described elsewhere on this page. (More than 1,100 PDF file
pages on CD-ROM.) #850801. $39.00.
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Cross-Reference Guide to United States Railway Post Office
Postmarks. (Jim Mehrer): For identifying RPO cancels where
the first town name is partly obscured or not fully struck. More
than 7,500 listings by second and third town names, as well as
other words used in RPO cancels ("fast mail," clerk's
names, etc.). Also helpful for collectors of single towns or states.
The RPO Catalog tells you which cancels START with "St. Louis;"
this book tells you which ones END with "St. Louis".
(101 pages; unbound, three-hole punched.) #970366. $20.00.
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Abbreviations and Misspellings in United States Railway Post
Office Postmarks. (Jim Mehrer): Identifies more than 2,000
abbreviations and misspellings used in RPO postmarks. An indispensable
tool for collectors and dealers alike. (15 pages; unbound, three-hole
punched.) #970367. $8.00.
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Directory of Railway Post Offices (1864-1977). (John L.
Kay): A listing of the Railway Post Offices, operated by the U.S.
Postal Department and the U.S. Postal Service, over railroads
and waterways, including the dates of establishment, discontinuance
and changes of name and operation. (455 PDF file pages.)
Directory of Route Agents. (John L. Kay): A companion piece
to the above, this covers the route agents during the period 1837-1882.
(168 PDF file pages.)
BOTH of the above Directories combined on one CD-ROM. (623 PDF
file pages.) #970365. $34.00.
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Directory of Route Agents. (John L. Kay/2000): A listing
of route agents during the period 1837-1882, with dates of establishment,
discontinuance and changes of name and operation. (168 pages;
unbound, three-hole punched.) The printed
version of this title is OUT OF PRINT, but we have ONE COPY available.
970369. $20.00.
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U.S. Route and Station Agent Postmarks. (Charles L. Towle):
This is THE catalog for the early Railroad and Station Agent postmarks.
The book covers the development of railroad mail, route agents
and their duties, waterway mail routes and agents, station agent
postmarks, the distributing post office and how to use the Catalog.
Section 1 contains more than 1,569 railway route agent postmarks
and 184 waterway agent postmarks listed and illustrated. Also
included are route agent names, work periods and routes from 1837-1861
(by John L. Kay); postmark index; station postmarks indexed by
station name; selected bibliography. All markings are illustrated
and valued. (420 pages, plus 55 page foreword.)
Hardbound book, plus 32 loose-leaf addendum pages showing newly
discovered markings: #970368. $49.00.
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Guide to Identifying U.S. Route and Station Agent Postmarks.
(Jim Mehrer): Packed with essential information for deciphering
those cryptic Agent postmarks - even partial strikes! Contains
cross-reference guides, abbreviations identifiers, manuscripts
identifiers and much more! This Guide even includes a list of
dozens of entries that are out of alphabetical order in the Agent
catalog and tells you where to find them. Be sure to add this
one to your reference library. (110 pages; unbound, three-hole
punched.) #970371. $20.00.
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U.S. Transit Markings Catalog / Volume IV. (Charles
L. Towle & Fred MacDonald): In the same style and format as
the U.S. Railway Post Office Postmark Catalog, this book contains
Transfer Clerk, Transfer Office, and Local Mail Agent markings;
Terminal Markings (Rail, Truck and Air, Air Mail Field RMS &
PTS markings); plus Received and Due markings; Train Late and
Auxiliary markings; and Separating Post Office markings. Valuation
ratings are included for most of the listings. (236 pages; unbound,
three-hole punched.) #781203. $26.00.
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U.S. Narrow Gauge Mail Routes & Postal Markings.
(James Felton): Contains all information on all narrow gauge railroads
in the United States. Includes changeover dates to standard gauge;
listings of all known markings with MPOS numbers and tracings
of each style; plus an alphabetical listing by state. (78 pages;
unbound, three-hole punched.) #781204. $18.00.
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U.S. Highway Post Office Cover Catalog. Contains an
HPO cover valuation system; alphabetical index of all 410 HPO
routes; 30 pages of first trip and last trip HPO details, with
cancel illustrations; an HPO cancel type chart; experimental routes
prior to 1941; temporary routes after 1941; HPO fairs, exhibits
& special events; the Butterfiled Overland Mail Caravan; special
HPO first trip folders;and the "RPO Bus." (42 pages;
unbound, three-hole punched.) #781205. $18.00.
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The Railroads of Cameroun and Associated Postal History.
(Martin Bratzel/2009): This publication examines the railroads
of Cameroun beginning when the first rails were laid by the Germans
in 1901, the transition of World War I, during and through the
British and French administrations, and after independence through
to the present day. Summary of contents:
-- The plantation railroad networks their development and
demise, plus equipment and rolling stock, with a focus on the
locomotive Gouverneur Ebermaier.
-- The mainline railroads construction and operation, services
and schedules, rolling stock, the transition from public to private
ownership, and the outlook for future growth and expansion.
-- Other rail lines in the port and town of Douala.
-- The transport of mail and the railroad postal service
under the German administration, through the Anglo-French occupation
of World War I, expansion during the French administration, and
into the post-independence period.
-- Railroad postmarks and their recorded dates of use.
-- Profusely illustrated with 138 railroad-related photos (including
31 from the archives of the French Ministry of Culture)
rail line construction, locomotives and other rolling stock through
the years, plus train stations and railroad bridges, and much
more.
-- 32 postal history items railroad cachets, World War I-related
covers, mail postmarked and carried by the railroad postal service,
registered railroad mail, censored railroad mail, plus more.
-- Railroad-related Cameroun postage stamps.
-- Extensive appendix with train schedules and sundry official
orders and announcements.
(170 pages; perfect bound.) #790606. $55.00.
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Postal Markings of U.S. Waterway Routes. (Fred MacDonald/1997):
Incorporates and combines research of Towle, Meyer & Kay into
a single work. Includes: U.S. Route Agent & RPO Operations,
1839-1978; Contract Listings, 1843-1905; Detroit Marine Operations,
1895-1997; more. (196 pages; hardbound.) #970601. $45.00.
ILLINOIS RESIDENTS: Add 8.5% state sales tax to your order.
INTERNATIONAL ORDERS: Before ordering, please email us for the shipping charge.
©2002 Jim Mehrer. REPRODUCTION OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS
PAGE, IN PART OR WHOLE, IS EXPRESSLY PROHIBITED.