Book Release - May 2026
At Boston 2026 World Expo: May 23-30, 2026
I will be doing 2 Seminars/Book signings for the release of First To Fifty. Monday May 25 @ 12:30PM and Thursday May 28 at Noon. Please check the show schedule for specific room location.
Additionally, the book will be available throughout the show at the APS table
Ordering information will be available in June, after Boston 2026 World Expo.
If you are interested, please use the "Contact" tab to let me know and reserve you copy
About the Book
It's about the Journey
When I set out to write this book, I knew it was not going to be a simple recounting of the First Day ceremonies I attended over the years. Instead, I wanted it to be a collection of the stories I find myself telling whenever the subject of First Day ceremonies comes up.
The book contains 83 stories, chapters, if you will , covering everything from the very first ceremony I attended in 1982, to the moment I first imagined the possibility of attending a First Day ceremony in every state, to finally completing that journey in 2016.
Fifty of the chapters tell the story of the first ceremony I attended in each state. The remaining thirty-three chapters fill in the rest of the journey. Some are funny. Some are frustrating. Some were unforgettable for reasons I never could have imagined at the time. Together, they tell the larger story of what became a thirty-year adventure across America.
This was never meant to be a catalog of ceremonies, dates, and postmarks. It is the story of the people I met, the places I visited, the miles traveled, and the experiences that happened along the way.
Special Edition
Limited Edition Details
In addition to the standard hardcover edition, I created a Special Edition that directly reflects the journey itself.
This edition is limited to 60 copies. Copies numbered 1 through 50 are available for collectors, while copies 51 through 60 are reserved for family.
In editions 1 through 50, a Greetings from America stamp is affixed to the numbered edition page. Each stamp corresponds to the state achieved at that point in my quest to attend a First Day ceremony in all fifty states. For example, Copy No. 1 contains the Wisconsin stamp, Copy No. 2 Michigan, continuing through Copy No. 50, which features Wyoming — the fiftieth and final state.
To make the edition even more personal, I designed a special cancellation device modeled after a traditional First Day cancel. This cancel will be used exclusively for these editions and for no other purpose, making every copy truly unique.
And each copy will, of course, be personally signed.
Availability
AlabamaAlaska
Arizona
Arkansas CaliforniaColorado
Connecticut
Delaware Florida Georgia
Hawaii Idaho
Illinois
Indiana Iowa Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana Maine
Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri MontanaNebraska
NevadaNew HampshireNew Jersey
New Mexico
New YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth Carolina
South Dakota
TennesseeTexas
Utah
VermontVirginiaWashington
West VirginiaWisconsin Retained by the author as No. 1
Wyoming This copy will be made available at a later date
To order a Special Edition, please use the "Contact" tab. Editions with a Strikethrough have been sold. Available copies are First-come, first-serve basis.
Special Edition Copies - $99.99
About the book
Some technical details
This is my first book, and it is not your typical self-published stamp book.
First To Fifty is commercially published by Scott Stamp LLC
and printed by Walsworth Publishing Company.
The book is a 376-page standard 6×9 hardcover with a dust jacket and Smyth-sewn binding, not glued , so it is built to last and won’t fall apart after a few readings.
The interior is printed on 50# Norbrite Cream Text paper. Of course, with forty-five years in the paper industry, I had to be particular about the paper choice. This grade is commonly used in quality trade fiction, memoirs, and travelogues, giving the book the feel of a bookstore-quality publication rather than a traditional hobby reference book.
Standard Edition — $49.99