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Back to Delhi: Library of Congress Overview of the India Program See Tables By Carol Mitchell, March 2000
This report is intended to give an
overview of monographic materials costs and trends
in the Overseas Acquisitions Program for the Library
of Congress, Delhi, India, covering the period from
1996 through 1999. It examines the major categories
of Indian publications in English
and selected languages as
well as English language programs for other
South Asian countries -- Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri
Lanka. In the absence of information on publishing and book
production, it is impossible to place the program into the larger
context of Indian publishing. For all intents and purposes,
there is no information on the number, type, and price of
publishing for the region. UNESCO statistics are of little
use in helping assess the program because they are far
from current and are of doubtful accuracy. Our own
rejected title counts serve only as a general guideline
to the total number of titles we receive for review; they
are of little use in assessing the total volume of publishing.
We count only those titles rejected by this office. If a dealer
or a Representative is only sending us the best, then the reject
rates will be lower. Although we reject hundreds of titles, the
number of rejected titles cannot used to assess the broader
world of Indian publishing other than publishers continue to
produce and sell many inferior books.
Last year (1998/99) the program supplied over 4500
titles in English. In the major subject areas this was a 27%
increase over the previous year. Although the number of
publications supplied to participants has increased over
the past three years, the cost per title has not risen. Book
prices in Rupees have increased, but these increases have
been offset by devaluation of the Rupee against the U.S. dollar.
Estimates of inflation vary ranging between 9% and 13% until
1999 when inflation fell to 4% to 6%. Rupee values have fallen
steadily from an average of 35.05 to the dollar in 1996 to an average
of 39.41 in 1998 or a decrease of around 13% or about equal to
inflation rates. Given the current strength of the dollar and the drop
in inflation, book prices should remain stable.
In those subject areas where there are levels of
selectivity (comprehensive, representative, and selective),
there is often a correlation between the price of a book
and its quality � the more selective or better the book, the
higher the price. The Visual Arts are the most expensive
categories of books. In 1999, the average cost of Selective
Fine Arts books (Architecture, Classical Art, Modern Art, and
Decorative Arts) were $32.11, $21.22, $29.68, and $38.75
respectively. These prices compare favorably with the prices
reported by Blackwell for US/UK imprints at $49.92 for the Fine
Arts titles it supplied. Archeology books are another expensive
category costing $18.63 per title in 1998/99. Science titles
are surprisingly inexpensive costing an average of $6.23. Within
the sciences Botany titles are the most expensive ($9.37 per title)
due to more expensive production costs. Religion and literature
remain the best bargains with literature (including criticism) costing
approximately $3.60 a title ($45.37 in US/UK).
As the non-English language tables indicate,
language publications from
India are considerably cheaper. Like the English language publications,
Indian language publishing has remained stable over the past few years.
The cost of English language titles from other South Asian
countries falls between Indian English language publishing and
Indian language publishing. These costs have increased
over the past three years and likely reflect better quality books
coming out of these countries. Carol Mitchell
Indian English language: Broad Subjects. Humanities
Social Sciences
Indian English language: Broad Subjects (con�t). Sciences
Indian English language: Subcategories of subjects
As the following tables indicate, language publications from
India are considerably cheaper. Like the English language publications,
Indian language publishing has remained stable over the past few years.
Language Tables: Hindi, Bengali, and Sanskrit
HINDI LANGUAGE
BENGALI LANGUAGE
SANSKRIT LANGUAGE
OTHER SOUTH ASIAN COUNTRIES
The cost of English language titles from other South Asian
countries falls between Indian English language publishing and
Indian language publishing. These costs have increased
over the past three years and likely reflect better quality books
coming out of these countries.
English language titles for the countries of
Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka
NEPAL- ENGLISH LANGUAGE
BANGLADESH - ENGLISH LANGUAGE
SRI LANKA ENGLISH LANGUAGE
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