The Price of Books

"Most people have not yet learned to regard books as a necessity. They will beg them, they will borrow them, they will do everything, in fact, but buy them. People... who will unhesitatingly pay 8 shillings apiece for a dozen gramophone records... will think twice, if not three times, before spending even 5 shillings upon a book which will last a lifetime." -Sir Stanley Unwin, The Price of Books (1925). The Price of Books (1925) is an essay by Sir Stanley Unwin about the state of book publishing in early twentieth century Britain. While he explains the mechanics of book pricing in ways that are similar to the early twenty-first century, he laments that books are not appreciated enough and often too cheap in proportion to the publishers' costs. This essay offers an engaging glimpse into publishing for students of history, publishers and others interested in the world of publishing.