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Old 07-03-2006, 12:59 PM posted to sci.bio.botany
P van Rijckevorsel
 
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"Phred" schreef
Compared to the price at amazon.com (US $16.35) this is 6.5 × as much as
new. Compared to the list price it is still almost 4.5 × as much as new.
PvR


FWIW, that page defines the condition as "New". Not that that
detracts from your argument -- the price still seems to be outrageous
(always assuming there's not a typo somewhere there).

Cheers, Phred.


***
Well, that is a fine distinction. There is plenty of opportunity to split
hairs here.

1) Strictly speaking there are books "in print", coming from the publisher
to the bookshops through the approved channels.
2) Sometimes the publisher despairs of selling the book at the regular
prices. He will drop the book "out of print" and sell the remaining stocks
for anything the market will bear to either the regular bookshops or to
specialised bookstores, as "remaindered": these books (new!) are offered at
a discount.
3) Then there are bookstores that will have stocks themselves, and will
continue to sell books at the regular (set) price even after the publisher
ran out, so even after the book is actually "out of print".
4) Then there are second hand bookstores, that will sell untouched books as
being "mint" or "as new".

One can have a fine time arguing which of these book are actually "new"!

Anyway in this case this bookseller is not an exception, if you run a search
for this same book you will other sellers with prices that are not that much
less. This sort of thing does not happen all that often, but it is not all
that rare either. A fine case is where a previous edition of a book (say
with B&W pictures) is offered at twice the price of the succeeding edition
(in full color).
PvR