The tensions between books and book markets as expressions of culture and books as products in profit-making businesses … good idea to harmonise European book policies. Our analysis suggests that the book market seems quite able to invent … solutions to specific problems of the book trade and that, apart from promoting reading, there is little need for government …

After describing the essential features of the book market, a welfare analysis of the fixed book price agreement is … given. Allowance is made for the opportunity cost of reading. Theoretically, the agreement pushes up book prices and … depresses book sales. However, more titles will be published, particularly of books with low price elasticity and that take a …

The tensions between books and book markets as expressions of culture and books as products in profit-making businesses … good idea to harmonise European book policies. Our analysis suggests that the book market seems quite able to invent … solutions to specific problems of the book trade and that, apart from promoting reading, there is little need for government …