Cheap books?

With reference to the controversy about the sale of books by the mv Doulos, so much has been said by the media publicising the sale of books at reduced prices from the ship, that the public went into a frenzy to obtain books at what they were told were cheap prices.

I visited the ship myself and compared prices with those at our bookshop in Rabat, something I doubt any journalists did before jumping to conclusions and accusing local booksellers of overcharging.

Here are just a few examples: Read with me Fairy Tales, which we sell at 45 cents, is marked 80 cents on the Doulos; Priory Classics, which we sell at 95 cents, on the Doulos is marked Lm1.20; Planet Animals, which we sell at Lm2.50, on the Doulosis Lm4; and Wordsworth Classics, which we sell at Lm1, on the Doulos is marked Lm1.20.

Many other titles on sale on the ship are available at our shop at 20 to 40 per cent cheaper. We have a selection of over 4,000 books in stock. There are some books which are a few cents cheaper on the ship but surely this does not justify so much publicity and public outcry.

The majority of books being offered for sale at genuinely cheap prices are religious books, which quote from the King James version of the The Bible, as the management of the Doulos have an interest in promoting their version of Christianity.

Others are old curriculum books, most of which have been donated to the Doulos by publishers on condition, as stamped and numbered on each book, that these are not to be offered for sale, because they are intended to be given to students in poor countries.

Our sales have in fact plummeted these last few days as a result of themisinformed publicity in the media.

One hopes the media will be as vociferous each time the local book sellers publicise their sales or hold book fairs! The public can very well visit our shop to compare prices of books which they have bought on the Doulos.