Canada Post will issue a single domestic rate stamp (51¢) commemorating the 100th anniversary of McClelland & Stewart. This publishing house has had an influential role in shaping Canadian identity and culture, catering to the needs of readers for books as diverse as .Janey Canuck in the West to the Canadian Encyclopedia. The stamp will be available for sale in post offices across Canada on April 26.

James Roberts, of Overdrive Design Ltd. in Oakville, Ontario, designed the McClelland & Stewart commemorative stamp and booklet. In style, the design pays homage to an earlier time of printing limitations in colour and shape, yet is modern in terms of its simplicity and typographic approach. Like a book, the stamp starts to tell a story – that McClelland & Stewart books are our past, present and future. The design combines two themes of the 100th anniversary celebrations: the past and the anticipation of the future.

The stamp measures 25 mm x 38 mm. Lowe-Martin printed three million stamps that will be sold in booklets of eight. The stamps will be printed using two-colour lithography and pressure sensitive gum on Tullis Russell Coatings paper. The die-cut stamp is general tagged on all four sides. The Official First Day Cover will read: TORONTO, ON.

Additional information about Canadian stamps can be found in the Newsroom section of Canada Post's website, and a downloadable high-resolution photo of the McClelland & Stewart commemorative stamp is in the Newsroom's Photo Centre. Stamps and Official First Day covers will be available at participating post offices, can be ordered online by following the links at Canada Post's website www.canadapost.ca, or by mail-order from the National Philatelic Centre. From Canada and the USA call toll-free: 1-800-565-4362 and from other countries call: (902) 863-6550.