gold leaf

[jenkinsmd]

Yep, textbook prices are rough. Thankfully, my school has a rental (included in tuition) program that covers many of the more expensive textbooks, such as the Norton Anthologies and CD sets. Also, I've never run into a professor unwilling to share their list of required textbooks before the semester begins, and most are understanding enough to allow time to order and ship books from places such as Amazon right after classes begin. As far as professor-written textbooks, I've been fortunate enough to be required to spend only $5-15 each for most of mine.

[Rochester2013]

I typically use Chegg.com for books, works if you don't care about having to return it.

I remember last semester I took (attempted) an honors mechanics class. I bought the book for $150, but ended up hating the class and dropping it later in the semester. I attempted to return the book to the book store, and a new edition was coming out, so they said it was worth NOTHING. This edition was like 4 years old too.

Luckily though, in the music program I am in most of my core classes will use the same book for several semesters. My theory (I-IV) use the same book that cost me $90, Aural musicianship skills $100-four semesters. And then the history books are used each for two semesters.

In the sciences is where they tend to get people the worse, in my opinion.

[The Jackson]

It's totally insane. I don't feel the hurt, though, as all of my tuition and books are paid for by the system. In Trigonometry (very basic course), all the homework (required) is on the internet. To access and use that system (and do the homework, and be able to get an A in the class), you must buy an access code. That piece of cardboard with the code is $72.

Last semester, I took four classes plus a co-req lab. I don't remember the exact amount for all the books, but it was enough to have to bring the manager out for the "high rollers" authorization code for the purchase.

[Dan Schultz]

Those books probably wouldn't be as expensive if they weren't written by the professor! Boy! Talk about a racket!

[tubashaman2]

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[tubashaman2]

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[The Big Ben]

If there were no gubmunt kolijez, I really wouldn't be particularly concerned about folks getting ripped off in textbook rackets. This stuff bugs me in the same way that unscrupulous public school band directors geting $XXXX kickbacks from rentals and "step-up" sales bugs me.

FYI: The union contract for the school district I teach at has a clause *specifically* preventing these things (plus mandatory lessons) from band/music directors. Since we are a rural district, band directors may give lessons if there is no suitable teacher within reasonable traveling distance but this is determined on a case by case basis.. Violating this clause is a firing offence!

[iiipopes]

Those books probably wouldn't be as expensive if they weren't written by the professor! Boy! Talk about a racket!

That was absolutely the case with some of my grad school classes! I remember trying to buy used as well, and always being frustrated by the edition change right before classes started. So the professors and the Dean made money all the way around: from the university directly on their salary, and from the publisher on the percentage of book sales, renting out the back rooms of their large houses to students, and from consulting fees when the graduates went out on their own and hit a situation that needed some further advice on dealing with the situation.

[tubatom91]

I dropped $500 on textbooks my first semester, then I bought tuba books (Arban's, brass gym, Snedecor, Rochut). But I only need two sets of books this semester for two Gen ed.'s (around $120 total). I hate buying textbooks but I guess I need them, last semester I did not need an $80 book and cannot sell it for any amount of money . The tuba books are worth it, and the $185 music theory set were worth it, maybe.

[Rick Denney]

Those books probably wouldn't be as expensive if they weren't written by the professor! Boy! Talk about a racket!

That was absolutely the case with some of my grad school classes!

Mine, too. But some of those bundles of notes that were semi-bound into a $100 "textbook" are so hard to find now and contain so much good stuff that they are like a cult possession. Some of my professors were the best in the world in their subjects--who else's book would I want?

Rick "welcome to college" Denney

[SRanney]

Most of the books I've been required to purchase for "real" classes during my undergraduate degree (i.e., non-intro level and upper division) were expensive. They were, however, also gold mines of information. I've kept many of them for years and use them as reference texts regularly. Most of the classes I've taken during my graduate career have used journal articles as the basis for discussion. On occasion, I have been required to purchase texts but each text has proved useful long beyond the duration of the course. Many are cited regularly in the primary literature and will be on my bookshelf for the rest of my career.

Books can be expensive. Good books are even more expensive.

Steven "always finds a cheaper price online than in any on or off-campus bookstore" R.