B-Berry And I Look Back (2013)
“said Jonah.
I shook my head.
“Prohibitive,” I said, “is the only word. Before the first war the price of a new novel, whether it was written by Kipling or written by me, was four and six. Between the wars the price was seven and six. Today it is fifteen shillings. So much for the new novel. As for what is called the Library edition – that is to say, reprints of the original in a cheaper form – I’ve watched the price from three and six in 1944 to eight and six in 1956.
“Well, people can’t afford to pay such prices for fiction. That’s why my books will very shortly be published in paper-backed form.”
“No!” cried everyone.
“It’s a fact. I never thought I should see it, but it’s a fact. They’ll be well turned out, you know. Nice print and the rest. And that will bring them within the reach of the very many people who simply cannot afford eight and sixpence today.”
“But this book—”
“Oh, no. Only such books as appear in the Library edition will be published as paper-backs.
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