S3RI member tells history of inflation measurement for the first time in new book

The UK Consumer Price Index is one of the most closely-watched statistical outputs. Now the long history of UK prices measurement is the subject of a new book charting the development of its complex methodologies and the people and institutions behind them. The book follows the development from its beginning in the eighteenth century, through the interested ‘statists’ of the nineteenth century who painstakingly gathered price information, and into the twentieth century where inflation became an official statistic under the Board of Trade. The last few years have seen a succession of reviews and developments and the story comes up to date with changes to the Consumer Price Index. The historical development is interspersed with chapters on different aspects of price index methodology. 

Paul Smith was part of a three-author team, who have all worked at the Office for National Statistics. He was the business prices expert, and also wrote about price collection methods, as well as taking an editorial role. The book is newly published by Palgrave Macmillan, see http://www.palgrave.com/gb/book/9783319641249.