Every stamp tells a story. Ever since Queen Victoria's Penny Black first burst on to the scene, stamps have depicted history as it happens. From the rise and fall of Empire to the defeat of Hitler, from Victoria's coronation to the death of Diana, from the first railways and steamships to the advent of computers, every big event in British life has been reflected by a stamp.

Chris West has selected 36 of the most evocative, quirky and beautiful stamps in his collection and woven them into a witty and elegant popular history of the nation from 1840 to the present day. Each classic, lovingly-designed stamp is presented in full colour, revealing it to be both a work of art and a tantalising window into the character and spirit of its era.

Here is a history of Britain like no other, that will delight stamp collectors and lovers of history alike.