Wow, $200 for a bound copy of something translated by Mechanical Turk, without any preview at all to see if the content is the least bit interesting. Sounds like a wise use of money.
Author of Emoji Dick here. The $200 price tag is that high because its a one-off print-on-demand of an 800 page color laser hardcover book. I would LOVE to find a way to produce these cheaper (even do another edition) but haven't had the time to get a publisher / deal / etc. together.
I never really seriously considered it. Made the book and the page before this was really all that common online. Maybe I'll A/B test it to see if it generates more sales :)