FACIT 2000 CD-ROM Edition Sverige, FACIT Forlags, Västeräs, Sweden, 1999.

Labeled as the Millennium Edition of the FACIT Sweden catalog, this CD-ROM catalog is not recommended for specialists who need details on varieties and extensive listings of back-of-the-book materials. The software was developed by a Dutch firm and the CD installs and sets up easily.

On the right side of the screen the stamps of Sweden are listed chronologically, beginning with the 1855 coat-of-arms type, with a thumbprint color illustration of each value. The user can click on an enlarged illustration of each stamp and also a description that includes year of issue, color (basic color, not shades), the value on the stamp, the issue type, and the price in SKr for unmounted mint, unused, and used. There is also a field for "properties" that indicates perforation only when there are distinct perf varieties as issued.

Sufficient amounts of the text are in English to make easy use and understanding of the listings. Booklets are listed adjacent to the corresponding stamp issues. The regular stamp listings go to 1999 and are followed by officials, postage dues, and the military reply stamps.

There is a query section on the left side of the screen where one can search for stamps by issue type, color, theme, or imprinted value. There is also a currency calculator in eleven different currencies, but this gets out of date with the constant fluctuations. One can also create a list of stamps in a collection and a wantlist.

In summary, this is a useful form of the Sweden stamp catalog for the casual collector, but is not recommended for the serious philatelist who needs much more detail than is provided here.

Alan Warren