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{{infoboxinfobox1|title=Stanley Gibbons Great Britain Concise Stamp Catalogue 2012
|author=Hugh Jefferies
|reviewer=John Van der Kiste
|borrow=Yes
|isbn=9780852598467
|pages=403
|publisher=Stanley Gibbons Ltd
|date=April 2012
|summary=The Concise Great Britain catalogue, now in its 27th year of publication, covering every issue up to and including March 2012
|cover=0852598467
|aznuk=0852598467
|aznus=0852598467
}}
Now in its 27th year of publication, the Great Britain Concise Catalogue provides a comprehensive listing of all issues from the 1d black and 2d blue of May 1840 to the Children’s Comics issue of 20 March 2012. As a halfway house between the very basic ‘Collect British Stamps’ and the multi-volume specialised edition, this lists the main variations of each issue, alongside miniature sheets, special first day of issue postmarks, postage dues, booklets, and the regional issues from Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, as well as the Channel Islands and Isle of Man prior to their postal independence in 1969 and 1973 respectively.
Also new to this catalogue is an expansion of the Post & Go labels, available from self-service machines from a few select larger post offices since 2008. Because of their limited availability, these are still quite scarce, but the rather attractive bird and farm animals of the series introduced so far suggests that they may well prove a popular collecting area.
Even if one is no longer an avid collector, as a book this is superbly laid out. Anybody with the slightest interest, or an eye for design, will relish looking at the pages and different designs through the ages, from the classic Victorian and Four Kings issues to today’s multicoloured conconctionsconcoctions, miniature sheets and booklet covers. For those of us who may say ‘they’re not what they used to be’, there is some satisfaction in looking at the May 2010 issue for the Festival of Stamps and centenary of the accession of George V, which incorporated facsimiles of some of the most striking stamps of the King’s reign, as well as others for cats, dogs, wildlife in general and the Winnie the Pooh drawings of E.H. Shepard.
As ever, this 400-page volume is not inexpensive, but it is the undoubted leader in its field, for which there is no substitute.
Our thanks to Stanley Gibbons for sending Bookbag a review copy. We also have a review of [[Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue 2012: Commonwealth and Empire Stamps 1840 - 1970 by Hugh Jefferies]].
If this book appeals then we can also recommend [[Stanley Gibbons Stamp Catalogue Commonwealth & Empire Stamps 1840-1970 2011 by Hugh Jefferies]]. {{amazontext|amazon=0852598467}}{{amazonUStext|amazon=0852598467}}
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