MYSTERIOUS ISLAND "Five Weeks in a Balloon" is a good second guess. However, if you look again at the background of the design, you will see Captain Nemo's submarine, Nautilus-- a fact which confirms the scene as one from "Mysterious Island", the 1875 sequel to "Twenty Thousand Leagues." Once Verne's reputation was established there was an insatiable demand for his writing and his popularity has remained undimmed. For awhile, before he plunged into full-time writing, Verne considered a career as a stockbroker. The bourse's loss was science fiction's gain. The stamp is from a set issued by the Republic of Guinea in 1978 (Scott 769-773) honoring the 150th anniversary of the writer's birth. Go to next scene

Do you have a question about History, Mystery, or Stamps? Ask Frederick! Dr. Highland's StampWhys feature, now in its second year, appears the first of the month in Linn's Stamps News.