Although several of the English dealers claim to have been engaged in the business prior to 1862, the study of stamps has been reduced to so exact a science that students are sceptical of mere reminiscence and require documental evidence to support claims of this kind. These should be forthcoming in advertisements in periodicals of the time, most of which have been thoroughly searched by the historian, and in early dated lists. In the order of their first known appearances in print as dealers Mr. P. J. Anderson, of the Aberdeen University Library, records from _The Boys' Own Magazine_, 1862, Mount Brown, J. J. Woods, Henry R. Victor, of Belfast, H. Stafford Smith, of Bath (September, 1862, founder of Stafford Smith and Smith, now Alfred Smith & Son), Edward L. Pemberton (October), and "Wm. Lincoln, jr., at W. S. Lincoln & Sons" (December, 1862). Of these the veteran Mr. Lincoln is still engaged in the business of stamp-dealing, as also are a son of Alfred Smith and a son of Edward L. Pemberton. In 1862 the special periodical literature of the new cult began with _The Monthly Advertiser_ (December 15th), though _The Monthly Intelligencer and Controversialist_, published a few months earlier (September), had been chiefly, but not wholly, devoted to stamp-collecting. In 1863 _The Stamp Collector's Magazine_ was founded, and this publication achieved a splendid record during the twelve years of its existence and laid the basis of much of what is accurate and precise in our knowledge of the early issues of stamps. _Le Timbre-Poste_, of Brussels (1863-1900), shared with its British contemporary a high place in the records of the period and enjoyed a much longer life of thirty-eight years, the publication having only ceased upon the retirement of its founder, M. J. B. Moëns. The beginning having been made, it must soon have become apparent that there was something in stamp-collecting which called for an extensive periodical literature; the output practically ever since has been extremely prolific. These and almost countless monographs have swelled the libraries of the philatelic bibliophiles to an extent which must impress, if not necessarily convince, the unbeliever in the fact of there being some real basis of interest and value to not merely stimulate the _cacoëthes scribendi_, but also to justify so vast a number of printers' bills.