About U.S. Stamps
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American Authors

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5-cent ultramarine Louisa May Alcott single

The Post Office Department issued seven groups of commemorative stamps between January 29 and February 12, 1940. These commemoratives stimulated tremendous interest in stamp collecting across the nation.

The first of the seven groups issued, the Authors group features five stamps, each with a portrait in an oval frame against a background of colonial design. The authors included are James Fennimore Cooper, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Louisa May Alcott, Washington Irving, and Samuel L. Clemens. A scroll, quill pen, inkwell, and book appear at the base of each portrait. These symbols represent the Authors group in the series.

The cities chosen for First Day of Issue ceremonies had played a significant role in each author's life, usually his or her birthplace, and large, enthusiastic groups attended the ceremonies.

Steven J. Rod

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1-cent Washington Irving single

Issued January 29, 1940, the 1-cent stamp in the 'Authors' group of Famous Americans pictures Washington Irving (1783-1859). Irving was a leading figure in the Knickerbocker Group, the first school of American authors. The group took its name from the character Dietrich Knickerbocker in Irving's "A History of New York". Other Irving works include "The Life of George Washington" and the popular short stories "Rip van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."

Gordon T. Trotter

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2-cent James Fenimore Cooper single

James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) appears on the 2-cent Famous American Authors stamp, issued January 29, 1940. Born in Burlington, New Jersey, Cooper is best known for his descriptions of the early American frontier. He wrote "The Pioneers" in 1828. His most enduring and endearing works are the Leatherstocking Tales featuring the character Natty Bumppo: "The Last of the Mohicans" (1840), "The Pioneers" and "The Prairie" (1827), "The Pathfinder" (1840) and "The Deerslayer" (1841).

Gordon T. Trotter

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3-cent Ralph Waldo Emerson single

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) appears on the 3-cent Famous American Authors stamp issued February 5, 1940. Emerson was a leading light among the transcendentalists, a primarily New England-centered group which strove to combine religion, philosophy, and nature in a uniquely American body of literature. Among Emerson's many essays were "Nature" and "Self-Reliance."

Gordon T. Trotter

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5-cent ultramarine Louisa May Alcott single

The 5-cent Famous American Authors stamp, issued February 5, 1940, honors Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888). Alcott's most famous stories are the semi-autobiographical "Little Women" and "Little Men." Another of her published works is Hospital Sketches, a recollection of her experiences as a nurse in the American Civil War. She also worked tirelessly for the temperance and women's suffrage movements.

Gordon T. Trotter

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10-cent dark brown Samuel L. Clemens single

The 10-cent Famous American Authors stamp, issued February 13, 1940, pictures Samuel L. Clemens (1835-1910), better known by his pen name 'Mark Twain'. Mark Twain was possibly the most popular author in his time. His many works include "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," "The Prince and the Pauper," "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court," and the non-fiction book "Life on the Mississippi."

Gordon T. Trotter

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