Here’s a book about postcard history and the global phenomenon of Postcrossing writ large. On this episode of The Postcardist Podcast, author Masha Mokeeva and I talk about her book, Postcrossing: Book of Secret Knowledge. Masha walks us through the seven highly researched chapters of the book, including:

Postcrossing. About Postcrossing creator Paulo Magalhães, how Postcrossing works, what types of postcards are exchanged, and about the idea of Postcrossing in the world of ideas.

Text on the postcard. This includes a very entertaining story of Alexander Asarkan, a theater critic who made postcards himself in the Soviet era and made art out of it. Plus, what and how to write on a postcard; why the text is very important.

Stamps and mail-art. How stamps become part of the semantic field of a postcard. Which are valuable, and which are ordinary. About the fact that mail art is conceptual art, and not just decoration of postcards with stickers.

The postcards. How postcards appeared and why they were ahead of their time and became the prototype of social networks. How and why to collect postcard collections. How to store postcards. About postcard people (including an interview with me, The Postcardist!)

Postal history. The post offices in the modern world. How Postcrosser Elya worked in the Russian post office.

Postcrossers. Why people become Postcrossers. Interviews with Postcrossers. Postcrossing meetings.

The card store. A day in the life of Masha’s store, Amelie’s Cards. History of publishing and selling postcards worldwide. Interview with the owner of another store, where she says that the card is a source of inspiration and a sense of magic. Plus, Postcrossers’ life hacks, Postcrosser’s dictionary and 100 topics for the message on the postcard. 

Here’s a description of Postcrossing: Book of Secret Knowledge from Masha’s website. The book can be purchased for 480 rubles (approx. $6.50):

This is the world’s first postcrossing book!

Inspirational stories about your favorite hobby, walks into the postal past, practical advice and conversations with experts. And also a comic book about the girl Asya, whose life was forever changed by postcrossing (based on real events!).

Why does the postcard still attract people? What secrets and opportunities does it hold in itself?

The author of this book, Masha Mokeeva, got carried away with postcrossing several years ago and gave up journalism to open her own postcard shop. And that’s what came of it 🙂

Hardcover book in dust jacket, 288 pages, with comics and illustrations.

ISBN 978-5-7164-1000-8