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#26 2007-01-27 6:24 pm
Re: Textbooks
bratboy wrote:
justine wrote:
Steyr AUG wrote:
The low volume sold as compared to other books.
There are a lot of books that are printed a whole lot less than textbooks and cost a fraction of the amount.
Perhaps to cover the work that goes into writing them?
Well, ya know, i thought about that, but you have to wonder how much that "work" costs considering the amount they're selling the books for vs the amount of students purchasing vs how often they're updated more than just amendments.
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#27 2007-01-27 6:41 pm
- unshavenyak
- Your resident non-Neoclassical economist
- From: Ontario, Canada
- Registered: 2003-08-16
- Posts: 371
Re: Textbooks
bratboy wrote:
justine wrote:
Steyr AUG wrote:
The low volume sold as compared to other books.
There are a lot of books that are printed a whole lot less than textbooks and cost a fraction of the amount.
Perhaps to cover the work that goes into writing them?
You'd have a valid argument for the original edition, but I have seen far too many 7th or 8th editions that are just re-organizations of chapters with a few side articles on current events added.
For example , my department is getting moved to a new building being built and so professors are giving away books because they don't feel like packing them moving. I picked up an 8th edition book on the Economics of International Trade. It is identical to the 9th edition with the exception of movement of chapters and a few side comments on US spending. There are SO many crooked textbook writers.
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#29 2007-01-27 6:58 pm
- Aqua OS X
- Shark Sandwich
- From: Oakland, CA
- Registered: 2000-06-05
- Posts: 12669
Re: Textbooks
unshavenyak wrote:
There are SO many crooked textbook writers.
It's not really the writers. It's the publishers that are trying to make a buck. 
They could reprint the same edition, but they kill the used book market by selling new editions to bookstores.
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#30 2007-01-27 7:07 pm
- bratboy
- keeping the poor down
- Royal Wombat
- From: Austin, Texas
- Registered: 2003-01-19
- Posts: 34273
Re: Textbooks
justine wrote:
I'm just trying to understand how they justify the cost.
They don't, really. It's largely considered to be a racket.
Many professors also write or contribute to textbooks (though they might not use their own book for teaching).
"One thing we've learned is there's a difference between being disappointed and having madmen in authority."
--Paul Krugman
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#31 2007-01-27 7:11 pm
Re: Textbooks
bratboy wrote:
justine wrote:
I'm just trying to understand how they justify the cost.
They don't, really. It's largely considered to be a racket.
Many professors also write or contribute to textbooks (though they might not use their own book for teaching).
So, basically, everyone has always jusy accepted the high cost of textbooks and never questioned or challenged it? Or, would that just be an exercise in futility?
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#32 2007-01-28 12:20 am
- user
- Your plastic pal who's fun to be with
- From: I'm not getting you down, am I
- Registered: 2001-10-15
- Posts: 16509
Re: Textbooks
yes.
Aw, he's no fun, he fell right over.
Unless you become as little children, there's no way you will believe this crap.
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#33 2007-01-28 12:36 am
- bratboy
- keeping the poor down
- Royal Wombat
- From: Austin, Texas
- Registered: 2003-01-19
- Posts: 34273
Re: Textbooks
justine wrote:
bratboy wrote:
justine wrote:
I'm just trying to understand how they justify the cost.
They don't, really. It's largely considered to be a racket.
Many professors also write or contribute to textbooks (though they might not use their own book for teaching).So, basically, everyone has always jusy accepted the high cost of textbooks and never questioned or challenged it? Or, would that just be an exercise in futility?
Pretty much.
At my school, there's a student organization that allows students to sell their used textbooks by consignment. The purchasing student gets it for less than the bookstores sell it used, and the student selling their books will make more money than the bookstores pay.
There are online sites that function in a similar way.
"One thing we've learned is there's a difference between being disappointed and having madmen in authority."
--Paul Krugman
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#34 2007-01-28 3:17 am
- after-life
- Member
- Registered: 2003-12-25
- Posts: 2370
Re: Textbooks
mackerm wrote:
A few weeks ago, I enrolled in a class at the local community college on a whim. Tuition was $60, and other fees brought it up to $90. No big deal. But when I checked out the bookstore, the price of the books totaled almost $400! This for a beginning Political Science class.
This got me thinking; shouldn't there be public-domain textbooks which cover the basics in the main academic fields? Really, does elementary math or chemistry change all thet much from year to year? I realize that college textbooks are a total scam, but it shouldn't be that hard to dig up some olde PD textbooks and get teachers to assign them instead of the glitzy new ones.
New books are for suckers. I've had simple black and white small-sized paperback textbooks with only like 150 pages that have cost like $120 new. I can't make myself spend more than $40 for a paperback.
If you can't find a used copy at a reasonable price, just get a copy from a library and photocopy the pages. There are some places that will copy and bind the whole thing for you for a reasonable amount, though technically they're not supposed to. Just ask around.
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#35 2007-01-28 4:01 am
- bratboy
- keeping the poor down
- Royal Wombat
- From: Austin, Texas
- Registered: 2003-01-19
- Posts: 34273
Re: Textbooks
after-life wrote:
New books are for suckers.
I don't like using books that have been highlighted or written in.
"One thing we've learned is there's a difference between being disappointed and having madmen in authority."
--Paul Krugman
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#36 2007-01-28 4:12 am
- after-life
- Member
- Registered: 2003-12-25
- Posts: 2370
Re: Textbooks
bratboy wrote:
after-life wrote:
New books are for suckers.
I don't like using books that have been highlighted or written in.
I suppose in law school it's the case that it's hard to get decent used copies.
But if there are decent copies on Amazon used section or something it's a real waste to buy new.
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#37 2007-01-28 4:17 am
- bratboy
- keeping the poor down
- Royal Wombat
- From: Austin, Texas
- Registered: 2003-01-19
- Posts: 34273
Re: Textbooks
after-life wrote:
I suppose in law school it's the case that it's hard to get decent used copies.
But if there are decent copies on Amazon used section or something it's a real waste to buy new.
Yeah...law books that haven't been significantly written in or highlighted are uncommon.
"One thing we've learned is there's a difference between being disappointed and having madmen in authority."
--Paul Krugman
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