amazon tell me that the catcher in the rye is 50 years old today. as a birthday celebration they are selling it for ‘the original 1951 price’. sounds like a good deal. the paperback today sells for $6. in 1951 it was selling for $3. i presume that must be a hardback price but is it not still a little expensive?

the hardcover today sells for $25, or about 4 times the price of the paperback. if that ratio was the same in 1951 then a paperback would have cost 75¢. i have paperback books i bought with my very own money getting on for 25 years ago and they only cost the equivalent of about 50¢ then.

either hardback books were even more of a ripoff in 1951 or books have got a lot more accessibly priced over the years. i expect both theories are true. anyway, just read it, it’s well worth it.