A book detailing two centuries of Bermuda history through a stamp collection has hit bookstores in Hamilton.

Rambling Notes of a Bermuda Philatelist by Horst Augustinovic details the stories behind almost 200 Bermuda stamps from the 19th and 20th centuries.

Mr Augustinovic said the book was the culmination of a lifelong interest in stamp collecting — a hobby, he warned, that was fading because of the internet.

He explained: “In time, it won’t be possible to do a book like this because the material won’t be there.

“Most people use e-mail, very few people send letters any more. The utilities don’t send bills out any more except for a few people.

“How many letters do you get with a stamp on it?”

Mr Augustinovic added: “Our time right now is probably the last time where you could really collect post stamps – soon it’ll be gone.

“But that’s another reason why I wrote this book – as a record of what we’ve had for the last couple of hundred years.”

Rambling Notes looks at the history of postage in Bermuda from the mid-1800s to the present day.

It offers prints of stamps used throughout the years, details of changes in the Bermuda landscape they reflected and relays peculiar stories related to some of them.

Mr Augustinovic said that he has been interested in stamp-collecting, also known as philately, since he was about 8.

His passion drove him to a career in printing and only grew after he moved from Europe to Bermuda.

He explained that Bermuda had an interesting postage history because its position halfway between Europe and North America exposed it to many forms of postage.

Mr Augustinovic said that the idea to write a book came to him during the Covid-19 lockdown, when he found himself researching much of Bermuda’s postal history.

He said: “Whenever I came across something I thought ‘what is the little story behind that little envelop?’

“I made a note of it and about a year ago I decided ‘why don’t I make a book about it?’”

Mr Augustinovic added: “A lot of it is quite quirky and it may just get a few more people interested in philately.”

Rambling Notes includes the use of mail during both World Wars, the history of Bermuda postcards and the evolution of landmarks and attractions, such as the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity, as they were being built.

It also features odd and entertaining stories, such as Nazi spies setting camp on Nonsuch Island and the time a mischief-maker stuffed three breams in a post office box in the summer of 1967.

Rambling Notes is being sold at the Bermuda Bookstore and the Bookmart at Brown & Co for $35.

Mr Augustinovic also plans to hold a book signing next month.