We used to have a similar price-fixing thing in the UK called the Net Book Agreement [1]. Thankfully it got repealed and books became cheaper for all.
Got it cheaper because the authors got now less money or got it cheaper because the publisher got now less money?
Because I know, that (at least for technical books) the pay for the authors is not really great. It's more like a reputation than making money out of it.
Also not sure why you blast that sexism around.
These libraries these days even not only have books to rent out. They have online-books, games (like those physical games to interact physically with other people you like), and other medias.
Even the membership in those community libraries is mostly free of charge, with a few exceptions.
Do you know if there's any correlation between the number of bookstores in a city and the amount people in those cities read? Is it possible that more expensive but also more ubiquitous books leads to more books being read, or are price and readership always inversely correlated?
I would say they are always inversely correlated if you are poor.