NEW RELEASE: Edition Spéciale. Postal History of the Sognefjord Area up to 1905. The Øistein Bøe Collection

(wm/pcp) In the Nordic countries, exhibits with a local or regional focus are very popular, and this book, immortalised in this new volume of the documentation series, is considered a ‘textbook example’ in terms of treatment and presentation for this genre. However, many collectors are unlikely to be familiar with the area, so a brief explanation is in order. The Sognefjord is located on the west coast of Norway, starting just north of Bergen and stretching over 200 km to the foot of the Jotunheimen and Jostedalsbreen national parks. This makes the Sognefjord, which surrounds Bergen, not only the longest but also the deepest fjord in Europe at 1,303 m.

The fjord, with its harsh climate, posed major challenges for communication and postal services. The area was a gateway for almost all national and international mail from Bergen, as the mail was transported through this area. Due to steam shipping, tourism and industrialisation, the number of post offices grew from a single one (Laerdal) in 1800 to forty in 1905. The exhibit is dedicated to this period and focuses on several aspects: the early days until 1836 with its challenges, followed by the years until 1858 with the introduction of new routes and the first steamships, later also with the newly established post offices, and then catapulted into a new era with the introduction of the Christiania–Bergen railway line around 1905.

This development is then documented on 120 large-format colour pages, some of which feature documents of museum quality. For example, you can see the first known letters from Bergen through the fjord and to places you have never heard of. Bøe describes all these letters in great detail and interprets their routes and fares. The collection of selected specialities, such as rare foreign destinations, is fascinating and demonstrates how varied even a collection dedicated primarily to one area can be. You get a feel for why this collection, which Bøe worked on for 20 years, was awarded gold at NORDIA 2024 and also at HUNPHILEX 2022. Impressive!

Brief information: Format 25.5 x 34 cm, 132 pages, art paper, colour illustrations, hardcover with gold embossed title and spine, plus additional dust jacket, retail price: £79 plus shipping costs. Available from: Heinrich Köhler Auktionshaus GmbH & Co. KG, Hasengartenstraße 25, 65189 Wiesbaden, Germany, TEL +49 (0) 611 34 14 90, E-mail: info@heinrich-koehler.de

Translated with DeepL (www.deepl.com)