Posted by Charles on January 10, 2005 at 09:40:32 from 212.137.57.41 user Charles_Coull.
In Reply to: Re: War Time Economy Standard Books posted by Robert Hill on January 09, 2005 at 19:09:45:
Googled it:
At Post Wartime Printing Exports we get:
Postwar Exports
The postwar Labour government of 1945 was forced to continue rationing many commodities and paper rationing continued until 1949.
The export market was adversely affected by a short supply of strawboard, a paucity of manpower and raw materials in printers' workshops and binderies, and exports were affected by the voluntary continuance of the war economy standards of book production, which gave many British books a sad 'utility' appearance. Britain couldn’t afford to be represented at the Florence Book Fair in 1922 until they were given free space and transport.
Urgent recommendations were made by the publishing industry to the Board of Trade because the overseas markets, especially Australian, were showing a preference for America's more attractively produced and more durable products. Government did allow relaxation of restrictions in 1949.