Sask. cookbook going for a lot of dough on Amazon

Saskatoon author Amy Jo Ehman's Out of Old Saskatchewan Kitchens is a charming historical look at people and the food they shared.

But if you want to get your hands on a rare hardcover version, you'll need to share a big chunk of change.

Resellers on Amazon have priced the book from $500 to upwards of $1,000.

"I thought it was insane and there was something weird going on," Ehman said in an interview with CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning.

Bots to blame?

She's heard stories of "book bots" — automatic computer programs that use algorithms to track book availability and then push prices up. But in reality, Ehman confesses, she's not sure what's going on.

"I have, really, technically, no idea."

But what Ehman does know is that she is "hanging on tightly" to her original hardcover copy.

And there is one other thing she knows about the inflated price — it does not mean there will be any extra money in her pocket.

"Whoever is selling it is going to pocket the profit, so don't think you are doing me a favour necessarily by buying this book," she said.

Author promises free signature

That's not to say that Ehman has a problem with the price. She half-joked that the market should be free to determine the price for a hardcover version of her book, and Ehman made a value-added promise for anyone who shells out big bucks to get it.

"I will sign it for you, and who knows? Maybe my signature will add a dollar or two to the value of your book."

For the rest of us, Out of Old Saskatchewan Kitchens is readily available in the softcover version for less than $20 at your local bookstore.

Ehman thinks it is just as good.