Peter John Anderson facts for kids

Peter John Anderson (born 1853 – died 12 May 1926) was a very important librarian. He worked at the University of Aberdeen starting in 1894. He was also a famous philatelist, which is someone who collects and studies stamps.

In 1921, he signed the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists. This is a special list for the most respected stamp collectors in the world. Peter Anderson was also the Secretary of the New Spalding Club. This club published important historical books. He was also the President of the Aberdeen and North of Scotland Philatelic Society. When he died, he gave his large collection of books about stamps to the University.

Peter Anderson's Early Life

Peter John Anderson was the only son of Agnes Shaw Grant and Peter Anderson. His father was a lawyer in Inverness. Peter Anderson was a very bright student. He won a gold medal from the Royal Academy two years in a row. He also studied at the Universities of Aberdeen and Edinburgh.

His sister, Isabel Harriet Grant Anderson, wrote a book about their family. It was called An Inverness Lawyer and His Sons, 1796–1878. This book shared details about their father, uncles, and grandfather.

Librarian and Book Lover

Peter Anderson worked very hard to make the University of Aberdeen library one of the best in the country. He wanted it to have an amazing collection of books.

He also helped start the New Spalding Club. He was the Secretary of this club from the very beginning. The New Spalding Club published many important books. These books were about the history of the Aberdeenshire area in Scotland.

Writing About Stamps

Peter Anderson wrote a lot about stamps and stamp collecting. He especially loved writing about books related to stamps. He seemed to own or have read many of these books.

His first article about stamps appeared in a magazine called The Stamp-Collector's Magazine. This was in May 1869, when he was about sixteen years old. He often wrote for another magazine, The Philatelic Record. In 1880, he wrote about the first stamps from Mauritius.

In 1883, he wrote to the Record about differences he found. He noticed that different journals described British impressed newspaper stamps in different ways. He also wrote about fake versions of the Mulready Envelope. This was an early type of stamped envelope. He also wrote about how many stamps were listed in different stamp catalogs. Later, he turned his articles about early English stamp literature into a book.

Peter Anderson's Publications

Here are some of the books Peter Anderson wrote:

• Early English Philatelic Literature 1862–65. London: The Philatelic Literature Society, 1912. (He wrote this with B. T. K. Smith.)
• Philatelic Literature Collecting in 1864–79: Reminiscences and extracts from a diary. London: P.J. Anderson, 1919. (Only 30 copies of this book were printed and shared privately.)