Price comparison: Larousse Gastronomique prices

First published in 1938, the Larousse Gastronomique is the bible of gastronomy and French cuisine in particular but later additions have included other cuisines. Hence, the third edition in 2001 grew to more than 1,350 pages while a more concise edition was published in 2001 and a new and further revised edition was published in October of 2009.

Thus, the Asian Wall Street Journal’s weekly Arbitrage column has recently conducted a survey of prices for Larousse Gastronomique in various cities in Asia and around the world. Surprisingly, the survey found that prices for the book were highest in Europe (VAT perhaps?) and generally the lowest in Asia.

Price Comparison*

Frankfurt	€118	US$176
Rome	€96	US$143
Brussels	€105	US$157
Paris	€71	US$106
New York City	US$91	US$91
Bangkok	2,950 Baht	US$89
Manila	3,780 Pesos	US$81
Singapore	S$102	US$73
London	40 Pounds	US$66
Kuala Lumpur	220 Ringgit	US$65

* Octopus Publishing Group. Prices are based foreign exchange rates as of November 23, 2009.