Karl Lewis Illustrated Covers: A Reprint of the Dr. Steven J. Berlin Collection of Illustrated Covers

This is a reprint of Kelleher & Rogers auction catalog of the outstanding postal history collection of Karl Lewis covers formed by Dr. Steven J. Berlin.It is the outstanding reference guide and catalog for Karl Lewis' covers. From the auction catalog:“We are thrilled to offer Dr. Steve J. Berlin’s collection of Lewis covers, perhaps the finest, most complete ever compiled. Nearly every location for which Lewis covers are known is represented here along with a number of unreported locales and undocumented cachet designs. The appeal of these covers is endless: for the artistically inclined, the sumi-e designs are a revelation; for the postal historian, there are earliest and latest know covers to pursue, rates to investigate and routes to map; for the lover of the Orient, they present a fabulous history lesson; for the closet Jack Tar, welcome aboard his ship covers... . The more one looks, the more there is to discover.”Catalog sections include:Japanese EmpireFirst Day CoversIndependent Asiia, including China and Siam (Thailand)Colonial PacificBritish EmpireShip CoversIt is a visual delight and a postal history treasure.Karl Lewis was born in Kentucky in 1865 and, as a sailor, lived for short periods at various times in Australia, New Zealand, France, England, Italy, Holland, and Japan. Beginning in 1901, he lived in Yokohama, Japan. He loved the view of Mt. Fuji from Yokohama and started a career in photography. He ran a small printing business from his studio, producing brochures and hand-colored postcards. Unfortunately, the business did not provide sufficient income.Lewis became interested in selling philatelic covers. He made arrangements for covers franked with foreign stamps to be mailed from various exotic islands of the Pacific, including Japan and other Asian countries. Each cover was hand-painted. Many of the covers Lewis mailed from Japan are First Day covers.After the Pearl Harbor attack, the Japanese arrested Lewis as a spy, eventually releasing him to the custody of his wife’s family. He is buried on the grounds of a Buddhist temple. Read more