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Back List: 31 years ago in Quill & Quire

IMG_1080Retail turmoil in the book trade caused by a plunging dollar is far from a new story. In its January 1985 edition, Quill & Quire published “The 35% solution: trying to keep prices down when the U.S. dollar’s up,” by Hamish Cameron. “Laurie Greenwood, an Edmonton bookseller, is appalled by the price of books,” the article began. “She says it is no longer possible for her or her customers to countenance the mark-ups being applied by Canadian publisher-agents to books imported from the U.S..” Greenwood cited examples of prices ranging more than 40 per cent higher than the U.S. price list, but further examples showed cover prices up to 54 per cent higher: Andy Rooney’s Piece of My Mind, which sold for $12.95 in the U.S., was being offered in Canada by McClelland and Stewart for $19.95.

In 1985, the Canadian dollar hovered around 77 cents (U.S.) for nearly a year. In February 1986, it hit a then record low of 69 cents – two cents from where it sits today, with economists predicting it could reach unprecedented depths.

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January 28th, 2016

5:04 pm

Category: Book news