A recurring theme of mine...

"Are we really, any better off?"
From time to time I leap bravely into The Shed and "ratch about a bit". One of my reasons to ratch is a lot of books from the mists of history which I'm slowly trickling past an old-book seller. (NOT to be confused with an old book-seller). Another of my proofs of the idiocy of English, and the occasional dire need for a hyphen) One of books was by Alistair MacLean. I did as I always do and read the cover 1st, I noticed:-
1. The second hand price was twice the new price.
2. The "New" price was ridiculously low by contemporary standard, most being over 6-7 Quid these days for a similar slim volume.
And thought, yet again ... "Are we really any better off?"