Oh the expence!

[ChasH]

Thought you chatters would like to see a bit more data found in registers.  Brings family history alive when one finds something like this.

Not cheap were they?

I may have other interesting things to post if you think it worthwhile.

Regards

Chas

P.S.  Note the three ways the letter "e" was written.

[LizzieW]

They seemed extraordinarily expensive.  I wonder how often money has been devalued since then.

Lizzie

[jim1]

               

                 How much in today's money was 13/6d in 1692?

                                              jim

[Sarndra]

expensive indeed but books were back then.  They were a sought after item and as you can see priced well over what most could afford.  Things were not mass produced way badk then hence the high costs.

As a comparison have a look at this site that lists costs of various items from Sothampton in 1625
http://www.portsdown.demon.co.uk/mark.htm there's a few years difference to the date in this post, but it gives a rough idea.

Sarndra
www.sarndra.com

[Sarndra]

expensive indeed but books were back then.  They were a sought after item and as you can see priced well over what most could afford.  Things were not mass produced way badk then hence the high costs.

As a comparison have a look at this site that lists costs of various items from Sothampton in 1625
http://www.portsdown.demon.co.uk/mark.htm there's a few years difference to the date in this post, but it gives a rough idea.

Sarndra
www.sarndra.com
Furthermore, at this site http://www.measuringworth.com/ppoweruk/

In 2006, £13 6s 0d from 1692 is worth

 £1,535.61 using the retail price index.

A lot of money for sure.

Cheers
Sarndra
www.sarndra.com

[Sarndra]

expensive indeed but books were back then.  They were a sought after item and as you can see priced well over what most could afford.  Things were not mass produced way badk then hence the high costs.

As a comparison have a look at this site that lists costs of various items from Sothampton in 1625
http://www.portsdown.demon.co.uk/mark.htm there's a few years difference to the date in this post, but it gives a rough idea.

Sarndra
www.sarndra.com
Furthermore, at this site http://www.measuringworth.com/ppoweruk/

In 2006, £13 6s 0d from 1692 is worth

 £1,535.61 using the retail price index.

A lot of money for sure.

Cheers
Sarndra
www.sarndra.com

Arghhh i put the wrong amount in...scrub that previous post..i'm still waking up.

In 2006, £0 13s 6d from 1692 is worth

 £77.94 using the retail price index.

Still a lot of money but hey better than 1500 pounds!

Righty i'm off for breakfast LOL!

Sarndra

[meles]

We who live in the UK are very lucky - books are cheap. More expensive in the rest of Europe (I guess that there is a smaller market as other languages are less widely spoken) and other parts of the world. When I'm in South Africa visiting family, I'm always asked to bring books over, as they are very expensive there.

meles

[Helen D]

Books back in those days would have been hand bound, very labour intensive, and if they were leather bound, and goldleaved etc that would have been even more. I have ancestors who were book binders, and the girls in the family were 'book folders' . Then there was the 'goldbeater' who presumably made the gold leaf.

I am having the 250 year old family bible (from another branch of the family) mended by a sympathetic hand binder, and I dare not say what it is costing. The original price is stuck in and if my memory serves me right, it was 3/6, which was a lot in 1760ish. Mind you the binders said that it would have cost less to do just a simple rebinding, but mine is being mended to (hopefully) preserve all the notes written in. I just hope it is OK, but the poor leather book binding was just falling apart. I am hoping this will mean it last another 200 years!!

Helen

[Sarndra]

[snip]

I am having the 250 year old family bible (from another branch of the family) mended by a sympathetic hand binder, and I dare not say what it is costing. The original price is stuck in and if my memory serves me right, it was 3/6, which was a lot in 1760ish. Mind you the binders said that it would have cost less to do just a simple rebinding, but mine is being mended to (hopefully) preserve all the notes written in. I just hope it is OK, but the poor leather book binding was just falling apart. I am hoping this will mean it last another 200 years!!

Helen

That is so lovely Helen.  I love reading about family heirlooms being so well looked after especially  after having worked (and intend to again) in the heritage sector with artifacts hundreds of years old.  I'm sure it will last that if not more if done properly!

Cheers
Sarndra
www.sarndra.com