Price of these Greek and Roman History Books

[Onasander]

Ever since Viggen pointed out a massive price decrepency between what I was told by amazon.com and what he was being told by amazon.com what the cost of books were, I've become increasingly paranoid.

 

Take this link:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0860780856/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1431011282&sr=8-2π=AC_SY200_QL40&keywords=neoplatonism+and+christian+thought&dpPl=1&dpID=51uIRd4RnzL&ref=plSrch

 

Its telling me this book is going for $991.10

 

What price do you actually see? Obviously I couldn't and wouldn't buy that, my job is a few cents above minimum wage, and it likely is just a dissection of Porphyry and Aeneas of Gaza. I can do that on my own. But I've noticed the farther I get into Roman Philosophy, the higher the absurd costs get.

 

The basic arguments of this era are advanced but simple enough to grasp, Star Trek more or less tackles the argument in their Transporter Gone Amock episodes "Can a transporter create life"? Pretty much the same theme.

 

But it appears this area of the Roman world is reserved only for absurdly rich people. Or, Amazon.com thinks I'm absurdly rich. I own two teeshirts, two pair of pants, and have been saving up for a used cargo van the last year, I really am not. I think this is utter bullshit trying to charge me a thousand bucks for a book published in 1981. I recall a book seller in Alaska owns a first edition of Newtons Principles of Mathematics for $10,000 (which I think is justifiable), I severely doubt ten copies of this text can ever possibly equal one copy of that. Amazon.com seems to think I do though, which is retarded.

[Onasander]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00URS6GK8/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&sr=8-16&qid=1431017753

 

Aesthetic Themes in Christian and Pagan Neoplatonism

 

For the kindle version $107.99

[Onasander]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00M75O52U/ref=mp_s_a_1_69_twi_2_kin?qid=1431018099&sr=8-69&keywords=neoplatonism+and+christian+thought

 

Interpreting Proclus: From Antiquity to the Renaissance

 

Kindle price $88.00

[Onasander]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/110702840X/ref=mp_s_a_1_114?qid=1431019202&sr=8-114π=AC_SY200_QL40&keywords=neoplatonism+and+christian+thought&dpPl=1&dpID=511CuE1P2qL&ref=plSrch#mediaMatrix_secondary_view_div_1431019251946

Politics and Tradition Between Rome, Ravenna and Constantinople: A Study of Cassiodorus and the Variae, 527-554 (Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series)

 

Kindle: $99.74

Edited May 7, 2015 by Onasander

[sonic]

It's one of my main complaints in my reviews.  Trouble is, not many people want to buy the books, and the publishers want to at least break even, so the price is very high to ensure that the few books bought by libraries and specialist academics cover costs.  This is true of the cost of the kindle version.

 

There may also be a tax reason, but I'm not sure.

 

I'm with a small publisher so my books are slightly less pricey!! 

[Onasander]

I know how to make books, both hard cover and paperback. I even own a industrial papercutter, and spent a lot of time in the sixth floor of the San Francisco public library- the rear room is dedicated to western and eastern calligraphy and uniquely bonded books. Also learned how to sew from a French leather maker, was sent to the US by a really, really fancy French luxury store to make repairs for the US population on the west coast, I was a security guard, but got to see how he selected leather, prepared the needle and thread, and techniques in sewing.

 

I'm fairly certain I could make a book on aged parchment, sew it up myself, and do the calligraphy and it would by no means anywhere near approach the cost of some of these books to make, counting my labor costs.