Page:On the economy of machinery and manufactures - Babbage - 1846.djvu/351

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AGAINST THE PUBLIC.
317

lisher at 4s. 2d. or 4s. 6d. is retailed by the bookseller to the public at 6s. In the first case he makes a profit of forty-four, in the second of thirty-three per cent. Even the smaller of these two rates of profit on the capital employed, appears to be much too large. It may sometimes happen, that when a book is inquired for, the retail dealer sends across the street to the wholesale agent, and receives, for this trifling service, one fourth part of the money paid by the purchaser; and perhaps the retail dealer takes also six months' credit for the price which the volume actually cost him.

(382.) In section 256, the price of each process in manufacturing the present volume was stated: we shall now give an analysis of the whole expense of conveying it into the hands of the public.

£ s. d.
The retail price 6s. on 3052 produces 915 12 0
1 Total expense of printing and paper 207 5 87/11
2 Taxes on paper and advertisements 40 0 11
3 Commission to publisher as agent
between author and printer

18

14

44/11
4 Commission to publisher as agent
for sale of the book

63

11

8
5 Profit:—the difference between
subscription price and trade
price, 4d. per vol.


50


17


4
6 Profit:—the difference between
trade price and retail
price, 1s. 6d. per vol.


228


18


0
—————— 362 1 44/11
7 Remains for authorship 306 4 0
Total 915 12 0