Library

The BPMA Library, housed in our Search Room, has a fascinating array of books, journals and pamphlets about postal history and history of Royal Mail. It holds around 3,260 books and journals and covers a period from the eighteenth century to the present day.

The oldest book that has been recorded in the library dates from 1760. It is John Watson's Gentleman and Citizen Almanac (John Watson, Dublin, Ireland, 1760) and is part of our transport section.

The library is currently in the process of being properly documented. Some books have been removed as they are too delicate for constant public use. The finished catalogue will ensure that we can provide a better service to all our readers.

There are eight main sections to the library - General Postal History, Transport, Technology, Military History, Industrial Relations, Journals, Local Postal History, Philately, Biographies and General Historical Reference.

The library also holds duplicate archive material. This includes photographs of posters and paintings within our archive. These are housed in black boxes nearest to the Search Room enquiry desk. The Portfolio collection, held behind the Search Room desk, is a useful paper guide of external sources and Royal Mail material on postal subjects.

Go to archive collection

Access

Most of the library is available on open shelves. Please ask staff for access to material not on the shelf. See our Visiting section for details of how to find us and opening hours.

TPO (Travelling Post Office) The Centenary of the Travelling Post Office, finding number: 2.3 Gen

TPO: The Centenary of the Travelling Post Office (GPO, London, 1948), guides the reader through the history of the Travelling Post Office. It also gives facts and figures for the time that it was in operation.

Our transport section has information on various different forms of postal transport.

There are also many books written by societies interested in Post Office transport. The main publishing body for the transport section is the Post Office Vehicles Club. However, we also hold books by BPMA staff. Julian Stray's Moving the Mail by Road (BPMA, London, 2006) is one of the newest books in our transport section. You can buy a copy in our Online Shop.

Find this in the catalogue

The Penny Black: Anniversary Book

This book celebrates the Penny Black's 150th anniversary. It also charts other famous stamps such as the 'Seahorses' Collection.

The philately section also includes catalogues of stamps by Stanley Gibbons. We also hold many journals by Philatelic Societies. One of these is London Philatelist.

The Royal Mail: Its Curiosities and Romance, finding number: 1 Hyd

J Wilson Hyde's The Royal Mail Its Curiousities and Romance (Simpkin Marshall and Co, London, 1889), is a charming and informative guide about a kind of Post Office that has now disappeared.

This is a useful source of information for family historians who would like to get a sense of what it was like to work for the Post Office around 1880.

There are other books in the library which draw on the history of the Post Office. We also have a number of children's books about the Post Office.

Find this in the catalogue

Anthony Trollope: An Autobiography, finding number: 4 Tro

Anthony Trollope (1815 – 1882): An Autobiography (Williams and Norgate, London, 1946) highlights not only Trollope's literary achievements but his career within the Post Office from around 1840.

Trollope found his career in the Post Office sometimes frustrating as he was not selected for the post of Assistant Secretary. Yet it was he that introduced one of the most recognisable objects of the Post Office, the Pillar Box.

We also have biographies of other key figures in the Post Office, including Rowland Hill,Tony Benn, James Chalmers, John Palmer and Ralph Allen.

Find this in the catalogue