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Monopoly Power in the Eighteenth Century British Book Trade:

Author

Listed:
  • David Fielding

    (Department of Economics, University of Otago, New Zealand)

  • Shef Rogers

    (Department of English and Linguistics, University of Otago, New Zealand)

Abstract
In conventional wisdom, the reform of British copyright law during the eighteenth century brought an end to the monopoly on the sale of books held by the Stationers’ Company, and the resulting competition was one of the driving forces behind the expansion of British book production during the Enlightenment. In this paper, we analyze a new dataset on eighteenth century book prices and author payments, showing that the legal reform brought about only a temporary increase in competition. The data suggest that by the end of the century, informal collusion between publishers had replaced the legal monopoly powers in place at the beginning of the century. The monopoly power of retailers is not so easily undermined.

Suggested Citation

  • David Fielding & Shef Rogers, 2014. "Monopoly Power in the Eighteenth Century British Book Trade:," Working Papers 1410, University of Otago, Department of Economics, revised Dec 2014.
    • Handle: RePEc:otg:wpaper:1410
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.otago.ac.nz/economics/otago087299.pdf
    File Function: First version, 2014
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gregory Clark, 2005. "The Condition of the Working Class in England, 1209-2004," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 113(6), pages 1307-1340, December.
    2. Joerg Baten & Jan Zanden, 2008. "Book production and the onset of modern economic growth," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 13(3), pages 217-235, September.
    3. Gregory Clark, 2007. "The long march of history: Farm wages, population, and economic growth, England 1209–18691," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 60(1), pages 97-135, February.
    4. Luis Orea, 2012. "Entry deterrence through regional regulation and strict licensing policy: an analysis of the large retail establishments in Spain," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 64(3), pages 539-562, July.
    5. Gregory Clark, 2005. "The Condition of the Working Class in England, 1209-2004," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 113(6), pages 1307-1340, December.
    6. Howard Smith, 2004. "Supermarket Choice and Supermarket Competition in Market Equilibrium," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 71(1), pages 235-263.
    7. Cotterill, Ronald W, 1986. "Market Power in the Retail Food Industry: Evidence from Vermont," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 68(3), pages 379-386, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    book trade; publishing; copyright; retail monopoly;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D42 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure, Pricing, and Design - - - Monopoly
    • L12 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Monopoly; Monopolization Strategies
    • N83 - Economic History - - Micro-Business History - - - Europe: Pre-1913
    • Z11 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economics of the Arts and Literature

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