Rowland Hill and the Fight for Penny Post

London; New York: F. Warne & Co, 1940. Presumed first edition (no indications of prior printings). Octavo in red jacket; 5 preliminary leaves, 3-205 pages including illustrations frontispiece (portrait) plates, facsimiles 19 cm. Small hole and chafe to front jacket panel; price clipped front flap; gift inscription; else overall about near fine to near fine(-) in very good(-) thus jacket in archival mylar. Hardcover. ISBN:

"Sir Rowland Hill, born in 1795 and passing away in 1879, was a significant figure in British history, primarily recognized for his innovations in the postal system. He is most renowned for introducing the first adhesive postage stamp, known as the Penny Black, in 1840. This innovation revolutionized the postal system, not only in Britain but globally, making postal services more accessible to the general public. Hill's achievements extend beyond the introduction of the postage stamp. He was a prominent advocate for postal reform. Prior to his reforms, the cost of sending letters was based on the number of pages and the distance traveled, and it was usually paid by the recipient, not the sender. This system was expensive and inefficient, often resulting in undelivered letters due to recipients being unable or unwilling to pay. Hill proposed a radical idea: a uniform rate of one penny per half-ounce for letters sent within the United Kingdom, irrespective of distance, and prepayment of postage by the sender. This was a significant shift from the existing system and required a means of showing that postage had been paid. This led to the creation of the Penny Black, the world's first adhesive postage stamp. The Penny Black featured a profile of Queen Victoria and was first issued on May 1, 1840. This stamp made the postal service affordable for the masses, leading to a significant increase in public communication. Sir Rowland Hill's reforms had a profound impact on the postal services, laying the groundwork for modern postal systems worldwide. His contributions to postal services have been widely recognized, and he is celebrated as one of the great innovators of the 19th century."—Bing. ¶ Postal system; United Kingdom; Great Britain. Postes -- Tarifs -- Grande-Bretagne. Postal rates. Hill, Rowland, Sir, 1795-1879. Hill, Rowland, Sir, 1795-1879. Geographic: Great Britain.