James Alexander Mackay was a prolific Scottish

Scottish people

The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...

 writer and philatelist

Philately

Philately is the study of stamps and postal history and other related items. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting, which does not necessarily involve the study of stamps. It is possible to be a philatelist without owning any stamps...

 whose reputation was damaged by a criminal conviction for theft and repeated accusations of plagiarism. In an obituary by John Holman

John R. Holman

John R. Holman was the editor of the British Philatelic Bulletin from 1988 till 2010 and a Fellow of the Royal Philatelic Society London.John has been a philatelist since 1957 and his collecting interests include British private posts, postal stationery, postal labels, postmarks and government mail...

, Editor of the British Philatelic Bulletin

British Philatelic Bulletin

The British Philatelic Bulletin is the official publication of the British Post Office Philatelic Bureau aimed at stamp collectors.The Bulletin gives detailed information about future British stamp issues and also features articles about past issues from noted philatelists.-History:The Bulletin was...

, Mackay was described as a "philatelic writer without equal". Mackay's output was broad and in philatelic works rivalled only by Fred Melville

Fred Melville

Frederick John Melville was a British philatelist, prolific philatelic author and founder of The Junior Philatelic Society. He was also a founder in 1907 of the Philatelic Literature Society...

.

Education

Mackay was born in Inverness

Inverness

Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...

 and educated in Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

 where he also attended the university. Later in life Mackay was awarded a Doctor of Literature (D.Litt) degree by Glasgow University.

Scottish posts

Interested in stamps and the postal system from an early age, he wrote two acclaimed histories of the Scottish posts; one limited to St. Kilda and, in 1978, his History of Scottish Postmarks, 1693-1978, the definitive work on the subject. He became a prolific philatelic author, especially on English, Irish and Scottish postmark

Postmark

thumb|USS TexasA postmark is a postal marking made on a letter, package, postcard or the like indicating the date and time that the item was delivered into the care of the postal service...

s and also produced popular Postal History Annuals and island series books. He wrote some 200 books and at least 10,000 articles. Mackay's interest in the postal history of St Kilda had been formed during his time stationed there during his army service in the 1950s.

Criminal conviction

In 1972 Mackay was dismissed from his job as an assistant keeper at the British Museum in London after he was convicted at the Old Bailey of stealing valuable proof stamps. He had pleaded guilty to five charges of stealing progressive proofs from the Museum in 1965 and 1966 and was fined £1000. He had exchanged the proofs with dealer Clive Feigenbaum

Clive Feigenbaum

Clive Harold Feigenbaum was a colourful and controversial British businessman who was involved in a life-long series of scandals in the world of philately...

 for Winston Churchill themed stamps.

Writing

He was the editor of The Burns Chronicle from 1976 to 1992 which under his stewardship reached a level of quality and diversity it has not achieved before or since. He then turned to biography, where he was less successful. Through the 1980s he worked on a biography of Robert Burns

Robert Burns

Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...

 which was published in 1992 to favourable reviews and which won the Saltire Award

Saltire Awards

The Saltire Society awards the following literary awards:* Scottish Book of the Year* Scottish First Book of the Year* Scottish History Book of the Year* Scottish Research Book of the Year...

. Subsequent biographies of Allan Pinkerton

Allan Pinkerton

Allan Pinkerton was a Scottish American detective and spy, best known for creating the Pinkerton National Detective Agency.-Early life, career and immigration:...

 and William Wallace

William Wallace

Sir William Wallace was a Scottish knight and landowner who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence....

 received more mixed reviews.

1996 saw the release of Michael Collins: A Life

Michael Collins (Irish leader)

Michael "Mick" Collins was an Irish revolutionary leader, Minister for Finance and Teachta Dála for Cork South in the First Dáil of 1919, Director of Intelligence for the IRA, and member of the Irish delegation during the Anglo-Irish Treaty negotiations. Subsequently, he was both Chairman of the...

, a work about the life of the famed Irish revolutionary which received excellent reviews.

Mackay also wrote books under a number of different pseudonyms including Ian Angus, William Finlay, Bruce Garden, Alex Matheson and Peter Whittington.

Accusations of plagiarism

In 1998, he published a biography of Alexander Graham Bell

Alexander Graham Bell

Alexander Graham Bell was an eminent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone....

. It was on the market briefly before Robert V. Bruce

Robert V. Bruce

Robert Vance Bruce was an American historian specializing in the American Civil War who won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1988 for his book The Launching of Modern American Science, 1846–1876...

 published a damning indictment, detailing sustained plagiarism

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...

 of his own work, Alexander Graham Bell and the Conquest of Solitude. Far from being a little-known work, the latter had in fact won the Pulitzer Prize

Pulitzer Prize

The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...

 in 1973. The indictment, published in the American Historical Association

American Historical Association

The American Historical Association is the oldest and largest society of historians and professors of history in the United States. Founded in 1884, the association promotes historical studies, the teaching of history, and the preservation of and access to historical materials...

's house journal, counted instances of plagiarism on 80 percent of the pages published. Mackay paid his publishers to withdraw the book from circulation, and Bruce agreed not to sue.

Mackay then published a biography of John Paul Jones

John Paul Jones

John Paul Jones was a Scottish sailor and the United States' first well-known naval fighter in the American Revolutionary War. Although he made enemies among America's political elites, his actions in British waters during the Revolution earned him an international reputation which persists to...

, the founder of the US Navy. While initially well received, and the subject of flattering reviews in the trade press, it was soon discovered that it was practically a copy of what those same reviews had marked as the last work on the man, that by Samuel Eliot Morison

Samuel Eliot Morison

Samuel Eliot Morison, Rear Admiral, United States Naval Reserve was an American historian noted for his works of maritime history that were both authoritative and highly readable. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1912, and taught history at the university for 40 years...

 in 1942. That biography too had won the Pulitzer.

Columbia University history professor David Armitage

David Armitage (historian)

- Life and research :Armitage studies imperial, international, and intellectual history at Harvard University where he is the Lloyd C. Blankfein Professor of History. Armitage graduated from the University of Cambridge, and spent 2000 and 2001 on a fellowship at Harvard, before moving there from...

 was quoted in the New York Times as saying that the book was "a spectacular and sustained act of plagiarism."

Despite these accusations, Mackay continued to be commissioned to write articles for the philatelic press and it has been said that almost the entire text of some editions of Stamp & Coin Mart, a popular British magazine, were written by him.

Philatelic

• The World of Stamps
• St Kilda; Its Posts and Communications, 1963
• The Tapling Collection of Postage Stamps and Telegraph Stamps and Postal Stationery, British Museum, 53 pp, 1964
• Tristan Da Cunha: Its Postal History and Philately, 72 pp,,Mackay & Crabb, 1965
• Commonwealth Stamp Design 1840-1965, British Museum, 32 pp, 1965
• Malta - The story of Malta and her stamps, Philatelic Publishers, 96 pp, 1966, ISBN 0900864109
• Money in Stamps, Johnson Publications, 240 pp, 1967, ISBN 0853070008
• The Story of Great Britain and her Stamps, Philatelic Publishers Ltd, 158 pp, 1967
• The Story of Éire and Her Stamps, Philatelic Publishers, 1968
• Cover Collecting - A Collecta Guide to First Day & Other Covers, Philatelic Publishers, 1968
• East Africa: The Story of East Africa and Its Stamps, Philatelic Publishers, 192 pp, 1970, ISBN 090086401X
• New Encyclopedia of Stamps, IPC Magazines, 1970
• Airmails, 1870-1970, Batsford, 216 pp, 1971, ISBN 0713403802
• The World of Classic Stamps; 1840-1870, New York: Putnam, 1972.
• The Dictionary of Stamps in Colour, Michael Joseph, 296 pp, 1973, ISBN 0718111249
• An Illustrated History of Stamp Design, Peter Lowe, 187 pp, 1974, ISBN0856546097
• Encyclopedia of World Stamps, 1945-1975, Lionel Leventhal Ltd, 160 pp, 1976, ISBN 0070445958
• Scottish Postmarks 1693-1987, J.A. Mackay: self-published, 68 pp, 1978
• The Circular Name Stamps of Scotland, J.A. Mackay: self-published, 1978
• The Skeleton Postmarks of Scotland, J.A. Mackay: self-published, 1978
• Stamp Collecting, Park Lane Press, 80pp, 1980
• British Post Office Numbers 1924-1969, J.A. Mackay: self-published, 50 pp, 1981
• Telegraphic Codes of the British Isles, 1879-1924, J.A. Mackay: self-published, 90 pp, 1981
• The Parcel Post of the British Isles, J.A. Mackay: self-published, 232 pp, 1982
• Registered Mail of the British Isles, J.A. Mackay: self-published, 395 pp, 1982
• Irish Postmarks Since 1840, J.A. Mackay: self-published, 222 pp, 1982
• The Guinness Book of Stamps: Facts and Feats, Perseus Distribution Services, 225 pp, 1982, ISBN 0851122418; 2nd Edition, Guinness Publishing Ltd, 225 pp, 1989, ISBN 0851123511
• Official Mail of the British Isles, J.A. Mackay: self-published, 349 pp, 1983
• The Postal History of Glasgow, J.A. Mackay: self-published, 1984
• British Stamps, Longman, 247 pp, 1985, ISBN 058240620X
• Sub Office Rubber Datestamps of Ireland, J.A. Mackay: self-published, 1985
• Postal History of Dumfries, 1986, self published,120 pp, ISBN 0906440386
• English Provincial Krags (Machine Cancellations) 1987
• Postmarks of England and Wales, J.A. Mackay: self-published, 352 pp, 1988, ISBN 0906440467
• Philatelic Terms Illustrated, Stanley Gibbons Limited, 4th edition, 2003, 173 pp, ISBN 0852595573
• The World Encyclopedia of Stamps and Stamp Collecting, 2005, Lorenz Books, 256 pp, ISBN 0754815307
• 1800 Stamps of the World: A Stunning Visual Directory of Rare and Familiar Issues, Organized Country by Country with over 1800 Images of Collectables from up to 200 Countries, Southwater, 160 pp, 2007, ISBN 1844763463
• The Floating Post Offices of the Clyde, J.A. Mackay: self-published
• Scottish Twin-Arc Postmarks with Stampers Numbers 1894-1963, J.A. Mackay: self-published
• Sub Office Rubber Datestamps of Scotland, J.A. Mackay: self-published
• English and Welsh Postmarks Since 1840, J.A. Mackay: self-published, 254 pp
• Surcharged Mail of the British Isles, J.A. Mackay: self-published, 138 pp
• Irish Slogan Postmarks 1919-1983, J.A. Mackay: self-published, 76 pp
• Dátstampái Rubair na bhFo-Oificí an Phoist in Éirinn, J.A. Mackay: self-published
• Postal History Annual 1979 J.A. Mackay: self-published 1979
• Postal History Annual 1980 J.A. Mackay: self-published 1980
• Postal History Annual 1981 J.A. Mackay: self-published 1981
• Postal History Annual 1982 J.A. Mackay: self-published 1982
• Postal History Annual 1983 J.A. Mackay: self-published 1983
• Postal History Annual 1984 J.A. Mackay: self-published 1984
• Postal History Annual 1985 J.A. Mackay: self-published 1985
• Postal History Annual 1986 J.A. Mackay: self-published 1986
• Under the Gum – Background to British Stamps 1840–1940, James Bendon, 536 pp, 1997, ISBN 9963579760

Scottish Islands Postal History Series

• No. 1: Harris & St Kilda J.A. Mackay: self-published 80 pgs
• No. 2: The Uists & Barra J.A. Mackay: self-published 57 pgs
• No. 3: Lewis J.A. Mackay: self-published 62 pgs
• No. 4: Skye and the Small Isles J.A. Mackay: self-published 70 pgs
• No. 5: Arran & Cumbrae J.A. Mackay: self-published 39 pgs
• No. 6: Bute J.A. Mackay: self-published 38 pgs
• No. 7: Orkney & Stroma J.A. Mackay: self-published 64 pgs
• No. 8: Shetland J.A. Mackay: self-published 70 pgs
• No. 9: Mull, Iona, Coll & Tiree J.A. Mackay: self-published 37 pgs
• No. 10: Islay, Jura and the other Argyll Isles J.A. Mackay: self-published 39 pgs
• No. 11: Scottish Islands Supplement & Catalogue J.A. Mackay: self-published 64 pgs
• No. 12: Isle of Wight J.A. Mackay: self-published 112 pgs

Biographies

• Vagabond of Verse: Robert Service - a Biography, Trafalgar Square ISBN 1851587047 1996
• Allan Pinkerton: The First Private Eye, John Wiley & Sons, Somerset, NJ ISBN 0471194158 1997
• Michael Collins: A Life, Trafalgar Square ISBN 1851588574 1997
• Alexander Graham Bell: A Life, John Wiley & Sons, Somerset, NJ ISBN 0471240451 1998
• William Wallace: Brave Heart, Mainstream, ISBN 185158823X 1995
• The Man Who Invented Himself: a Life of Sir Thomas Lipton, Mainstream Publishing, Edinburgh ISBN 1851588310 1998

Robert Burns

• The Complete Letters of Robert Burns, 1987, Alloway Publishing, 862 pp, ISBN 0907526322
• The Complete Works of Robert Burns, 1988, Hyperion Books, 704 pp, ISBN 0907526233
• Burns A-Z: the Complete Word Finder, 1990, (self published), 774 pp, ISBN 0906440513, ISBN 0906440505
• Burns: A Biography of Robert Burns, 1992, Mainstream Publishing, 672 pp, ISBN 1851584625
• Robert Burns, the Complete Poetical Works, 1993, Alloway Publishing Ltd, 640 pp, ISBN 0907526624
• Burns, A Biography, 2004, Alloway Publishing Ltd, 749 pp, ISBN 0907526861

Other subjects

• Antiques of the future; a guide for collectors and investors, 1970, Universe Books, 208 pp, ISBN 0876631170
• Glass Paperweights, Littlehampton Book Services Ltd, 1973, 136 pp, ISBN 0706311027
• The Animaliers: A Collector's Guide to the Animal Sculptors of the 19th & 20th Centuries, Dutton, 1973, 160 pp, ISBN 0525054987
• Dictionary of Western Sculptors in Bronze, 1973, Antique Collector's Club, 1977, 414 pp, ISBN 0902028553
• Coins: Facts and Feats, 1993, Spink & Son Ltd, 276 pp, ISBN 1852640693
• Clans and Tartans of Scotland, 2000, ISBN 0517162407
• Glasgow's Other River : Exploring the Kelvin, 2000, Fort Publishing Ltd, 240 pp, published under pseudonym Alex Matheson, ISBN 0953657620
• Soldiering on St Kilda, 2002, Token Publishing Ltd, 180 pp, ISBN 1870192486
• The St Kilda Steamers, 2006, The History Press Ltd, 192 pp, ISBN 0752438786

External links

• Dedications flood in for prolific philatelist Stamp & Coin Mart (archived url)
• Interview with James Mackay: 1999 Great Britain Collectors Club. Archived here.
• James MacKay Speaks... The Theme's the Thing Sandafayre Stamp Auctions