Stamping Through Astronomy (PDF)

Born in Italy in 1950, Renato Dicati has cultivated since childhood love for astronomy and the interest for space. In 1975 he graduated in Astrophysics at the University of Milan. After an interesting experience as teacher in public schools, he has worked for 30 years at IBM Italy, dealing with education, training and communications based on the use of information technology and multimedia.

Over the last twenty years he has dedicated much of his free time to science.

He has organized philatelic exhibitions regarding the history of astronomy and astronautics and has published numerous books and articles on astronomy, space exploration and thematic philately.

Dicati is member of AS.IT.AF - Italian Astrophilately Society and serves on the Board of Directors of USFI (Italian Philatelic Press Union).

Its activities include volunteering at ASPHI, a non-profit foundation that promotes the integration of people with disabilities in school, at work and in society, through the use of ICT (Information Communication Technology).

“Dicati, a graduate in astrophysics at the University of Milan, has amassed a beautiful collection of more than 1,300 color reproductions of stamps, FDCs and postmarks, with connections to the history of astronomy. They range from the earliest observations of the sky to modern research conducted with satellites and space probes. Stamping Through Astronomy is a visual delight for both astronomers and stamp collectors.” (ASTROFAX, September, 2016)

“Dicati has amassed a beautiful collection of stamps, First Day Covers, and postmarks with connections to astronomy, and he shares them with the reader through this well-illustrated book. … The images are crisp and clean, and the captions are detailed. … Stamping through astronomy is a visual delight for both astronomers and stamp collectors. The book should serve to lure astronomers to the world of stamp collecting and to introduce stamp collectors to the richness of astronomical history.” (Jerry L. Fields, Journal for the History of Astronomy, Vol. 46 (2), May, 2015)

“In this most unusual book, the astronomer Renado Dicati provides a course in astronomy, but with 1,300 postage stamps as illustrations, all in color. The result is a gorgeous volume that will be of interest not only to the general public, astronomy students, and amateur astronomers, but also to those interested in philately. … Renato Dicati is to be congratulated on this very readable tour de force.” (Jay Pasachoff, keyreporter.org, July, 2014)

“Dicati narrates a compact, readable history of astronomy that corresponds to color images of a carefully curated international collection of more than 1,300 stamps. … The stamp selections feature a wide array of scientists, instrumentation, and discoveries from all over the world. … the book is interesting and accessible to most readers … . Summing Up: Recommended. General readers.” (C. M. Rauber, Choice, Vol. 51 (8), April, 2014)