| Added by |
 Bart Perdieus
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| General Description : | The Secret of the Unicorn (French: Le Secret de la Licorne) is the eleventh volume of The Adventures of Tintin, the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. Young reporter Tintin, his dog Snowy, and his friend Captain Haddock discover a riddle left by Haddock's ancestor, the 17th century Sir Francis Haddock, which could lead them to the hidden treasure of Red Rackham, the pirate. To unravel the riddle, Tintin and Haddock must obtain three identical models of Sir Francis's ship, the Unicorn, but they discover that criminals are also after these model ships, and are willing to kill in order to obtain them. The story was first serialized in Le Soir Jeunesse, children's supplement to Belgium's leading newspaper Le Soir, from 11 June 1942 to 14 January 1943 before being published in book form later that year. The Secret of the Unicorn is the first volume in a two-part adventure concluded in Red Rackham's Treasure (1944). Written while Belgium was occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II, The Secret of the Unicorn is the first book in the series to avoid political themes, instead focusing purely on an adventure story, and has been described as being the first book in Hergé's middle period. It is also known for being one of only two books in the series set entirely in Belgium. Hergé heavily researched the background to his story, ensuring that the various ships, buildings, and other features illustrated in it were based upon real life counterparts. The Secret of the Unicorn was Hergé's favourite Tintin adventure until he made Tintin in Tibet (1960). |
| Face value | 0,46 Euro |
| Catalog code (Michel) | BE 3694 |
| Catalog code (Scott) | BE 2234k |
| Catalog code | Yvert et Tellier BE 3629 Stanley Gibbons BE 4077 Belgium BE 3646 WADP Numbering System - WNS BE046.07 Unificato BE 3638 |
| Series | Hergé 1907-2007 |
| Stamp colour | multicolour |
| Stamp use | Mini-sheet stamp |
| Print run | 824.804 |
| Issue date | 19/05/2007 |
| Designer | Hergé |
| Print technique | Offset lithography |
| Perforation | 11 1/2 |
| Height | 48.75 mm |
| Width | 38.15 mm |
| Catalog prices | No catalog prices set yet |
