--- In
rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, Patrick King
<abrasax93@...> wrote:
>
> Okey. So by this calculation, a 35 cent book in
1960
> should cost about $2.25 today. The trick is, no
such
> books exist. What's up with that?
If you do it with the price of houses, you will find a
similar phenomenon... The general index doesn't tell you how
particular things appreciate. I recall reading a similar
comparison with movie tickets, which is a more appropriate
comparison since tickets and books belong to the same
category (popular entertainment). Also, the important factor
is not how prices have risen but how the purchasing power has
changed. For example, how many Gold Medals could the average
guy buy in 1960 vs. today, what multiple of average (or
median) family income buys an average (or median) house, etc.
Price by itself doesn't tell the whole story. Even with food,
the comparison can be faulty if the diet has changed... and
entire categories of products exist now that didn't exist
back then. It's not so easy.
Mind you, I do support the $2.25 paperback, but only Dover
offers those and the books are out of copyright.
Best,
mrt
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