OK, if anyone wants to they are perfectly free to spend £75, thereby wasting £50 or more !Pandabean wrote:I am assuming its this one, £75 now!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1874 ... d_i=468294
There's only ever been the one edition of Black's "Surnames of Scotland", currently in reprint, standard price in UK bookshops £25, and £18:50 on line from WH Smith.
Initially it came out as a paperback in the UK some years ago, but has been in hardback now in the UK for some years. Previously it had to be ordered from the USA - -the Publications Office of the New York Public Library, where George F[raser] BLACK was a librarian, latterly the high heid such, for 35 years up to his death in 1948.
The first printing was in 1946, with the 9th (US) reprinting in 1989.
Later editions have included some minor amendments and additions from Mary Elder Black.
How on earth people think that they will get £75 or more, I don't know, unless we're talking a 1st Edition ! Maybe of interest to a book collector ? ...............
I've noticed this on Amazon and elsewhere, i.e. highly inflated prices even when a book is still in print and easily available; understandable when a book is out of print, and/or someone is offering a first edition, or whatever; but not here when you can walk into any decent bookshop in the UK and buy it for £25.
Even someone living abroad probably won't pay that much more than £25 if they buy on line from WH Smith at £18.50 + P&P, taking into account international postage.
But, if anyone wants to buy from Amazon at £75, please feel free to do so !
And that's without looking for a second hand copy from several websites; as who's worried about a copy being a bit worn, as long as it's readable.
mb