PRICE OF KNOWLEDGE.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 May 1920, Page 6

PRICE OF KNOWLEDGE.

BOOKS STILL DEARER. THE POSITIOX IN XEYV PLYMOUTH. Books, which for some time have been becoming dearer and more scarce, are likely be in still shorter supply in future, with consequent higher prices. In an interview with a Daily Sews representative yesterday a local bookseller said that popular novels which before the war sold at 3s Gd, were now priced at 5s Gd, aud there is a prospect of the price going to (is or more. He mentioned that a letter had just come to hand from a well-known London publishing firm stating that they were seriously considering the question of discontinuing publication of novels altogether, and confining their operations to standard works. As it was new novelists experienced great difficulty in getting publishers, who were only prepared to consider works from writers with established reputations. "The present price of novels is just about as high as the public will stand," added the bookseller. "Even those who can afford to pay for a novel, and even those better off will, in my opinion, refrain from buying at a higher price. Not that they cannot aiford more, but people are much more ready to economise in food for their" minds, so to speak, than for their bodies. I suppose it is because they can go without it showing to the same extent." Asked if there was a tendency for people to buy fewer books, the bookseller said there was to ?ome extent, but the most noticeable feature was the,demand for cheap editions by well-known writers. There was very little inquiry for books by authors whose names were not familiar. But even to buy the cheaper editions is an expensive matter now, for they have increased on an average of 2s (id above pre-war prices. The day of the popular Is or ml edition, covering a wide range of popular authors, has gone- "I would not like to say the effect is that people are reading less," he added, "but from the point of view of knowledge the public are really better off, for they can quite well do without a type of novel which was once in abundant supply, but which the h i L'h cost of production has now driven off the market. By publishers keeping to standard works we will get a good class of literature on our shelves." In support of his statement with regard to the cost of production, this authority produced a letter from a leading firm of English publishers, giving the reasons for increased prices. Paper which cost less than 21d in 1&14, ro9e during the war to Is 7d, and although since the armistice it dropped to three times the pre-wnr cost, it had again risen, and there was no prospect of any decrease. A few instances showing the comparative cost of binding in pre-war days, and now, were of interest, showing an increase for some editions of from i'/ji to .Is, and from 7d to Is lOd in others, while the published prices had risen in England only by Is or Is (id. . It was obviously impossible to raise the prices of books proportionately to the rise in cost of production, for this would bring the cost of a b'ook normally !>s up to 15s. at which price no one would buy itThus, it was claimed, the price of books had risen less proportionately than that of any other article of commerce. The prices of maeazines have almost doubled during the last few years, while a number have disapepared from local book stores altogether. Of those left, the paper, in most instances, and the matter in many, is of extremely poor quality, although the leading English and one or two American publications are still preserving a good appearance, and maintaining their old standard of j literary merit.