A matchbox label collector is called a phillumenist. But you don’t have to be one to love these tiny works of art. The popularity of collecting matchboxes is growing because they are affordable and a joy to look at.

Matchbox Labels features 3,500 of the best specimens, chosen for their charm and beauty. The matchbook labels are organized geographically, sorted within each group by theme, and captioned with insightful text.

The book covers selections from: – Scandinavia – Europe – Eastern Europe – Russia – South East Asia, China and Japan – India and Pakistan – Great Britain and North America.

The labels range from minute works of socialist realism from the former USSR to marvelous naïve animal and bird pictures from southern India and sophisticated graphics and illustrations from Japan.

A brief introduction offers a concise history of matchbook art and provides helpful advice on how to start, gather and organize a collection of your own.

Matchbox Labels is an eye-catching and fascinating reference for art lovers, designers and collectors.