James A. Michener

This stamp in the Distinguished Americans series honors James A. Michener (1907–1997). The prolific author of more than 40 books, Michener is best remembered for his novels, often multigenerational sagas that focus on the history of a specific place while spanning vast periods of time.

Created by Mark Summers, the stamp art is based on a photograph of Michener from the late 1970s. In both the photograph and the stamp art, Michener is shown wearing a Hawaiian lei around his neck.

Summers is noted for his scratchboard technique, a style distinguished by a dense network of lines etched with exquisite precision.