The author, who is a member of the British Library staff, urges protection of stamp collections from the ravages of chemical and physical damage. Damage by collectors is cited as the most serious (carelessness in handling). Another real problem is the inherent danger in an object of paper which has been subjected to concentrations of inks, gums, and other coatings in the process of manufacture. Other dangers discussed are those from light, biological attack, environment and storage materials such as album paper, a variety of plastics used as protective mounts and adhesives. The American Philatelic Society invites manufacturers of various collectors' supplies to provide objective information on their products for inclusion in future articles -- AATA