In the past few years we've seen prices rising on just about everything in daily life. it's meant we've had to think again about many things we used to take for granted. We're having to question our priorities, economise, reevaluate both our necessities and our treats and indulgencies.
And where do books fit in this current situation? Are they cheap at the price, presenting many hours of enjoyment and possibly days, weeks or years of enrichment? Or are they a luxury and need to be sourced differently - the library, borrowed from friends, purchases from charity shops?
(At this point can I remind you of the value of a certain author event later this month where you have an evening's entertainment and a copy of her new novel to take away with you, all for the price of the book?!)
But there has been an interesting development which challenges the general trend of frugality with book purchases.
The Folio Society has been releasing special editions of literary classics, for prices upwards of £600 in some instances. And the purchasers of these volumes? Well, it's reporting more customers under the age of 25 than over 60. It seems Generation Z is appreciating a well bound, beautifully produced book just as they have been enjoying vinyl, film cameras, cassettes and all things analogue!
Not all Folio Society books are at the upper price range, of course - special editions of titles from authors such as Sylvia Plath, Mary Shelley and Henry James can be purchased for around £39.95. That still seems rather pricey, but these books are being appreciated for their aesthetic and their contribution to the furnishing of a room as much as their message, it seems. People are investing in something that's going to last, said the founder of a boutique publisher, Manderley Press to the 'i' newspaper. 'A cheap paperback will probably disintegrate and fall to pieces...people might think...they could build a collection they could hand on to the next generation.'
It's an interesting idea. Are our books cherished objects to keep perfect, pristine, unopened even, or are they valuable to us for the stories and sentiments they contain?
Thank you for reading.