MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Inflation and historical cost of paperbacks

Kali Yuga · 10-17-2010, 08:13 PM

I'd guess that it will be nearly impossible to isolate what factors affected the price of one specific product of one specific product over such a long period of time.

Also, keep in mind a few key facts about the inflation rate calculations:
• The current CPI only started being used ~1975. Previous measures used a different methodology.
• Few products will track exactly to the rate of inflation over a 50 year period.
• Typical prices on a book's cover are not necessarily the same as the true average price of a good.

Perhaps if you spent a few weeks researching book prices, the costs of the various constituent commodities, the changes in the various publishing and distribution structures, the influence of early chain stores and so forth, maybe you'd get a better conjecture. Or not.

10-17-2010, 08:13 PM	#15
Kali Yuga Professional Contrarian Posts: 2,045 Karma: 3289631 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Kindle 4 No Touchie	I'd guess that it will be nearly impossible to isolate what factors affected the price of one specific product of one specific product over such a long period of time. Also, keep in mind a few key facts about the inflation rate calculations: • The current CPI only started being used ~1975. Previous measures used a different methodology. • Few products will track exactly to the rate of inflation over a 50 year period. • Typical prices on a book's cover are not necessarily the same as the true average price of a good. Perhaps if you spent a few weeks researching book prices, the costs of the various constituent commodities, the changes in the various publishing and distribution structures, the influence of early chain stores and so forth, maybe you'd get a better conjecture. Or not.