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HereSince1628

(36,063 posts)
21. Textbooks were always expensive, in inflation corrected dollars they've doubled in price but
Sun Jan 13, 2013, 11:14 AM
Jan 2013

there are also a lot more "ancillary" materials that are part of the product. Cut-down versions of bigger texts can save money but not as much as one would think, and the used-book buy back market for the cut downs is very limited and so the buyback's values are often lower--which adds to their relative price..

In 1976, the text for my 1st semester bio class had no color plates, and few photos. The illustrations were generally line drawings. We thought the book expensive at $35 for a new copy--in inflation corrected dollars that's the equivalent of $140. I bought a used copy for ~$20.

Modern intro bio books have color on every page, and almost every page has illustrations that aren't free. Printing technology is much improved now and production costs should be lower, but contemporary books are supported by online webpages, with chapter outlines, concept maps, downloadable illustrations, animations, on-line quizzes
etc. It costs money to host the stuff on-line but the publishers do it to be competitive and the cost goes into the book.

All the things added in...the books are probably not unusually priced in historic terms, but if the book and the ancillaries aren't used...well it's just a lot of money spent on something you don't use. That's always the rub. Some of that depends on how the instructor pitches the course, and some of it depends on whether a student decides reading the text is worth the effort.

Most publishers are glad to produce special editions consisting of selected chapters used by a program or a single instructor. 3 years ago I taught in a program that used such a text. It was a book cut down from a popular advanced high school bio book. It included 9 chapters because the biology for prenursing class I taught only covered 1 chapter--20 pages per week. The book it was cut from had the typical 40+ chapters.

A new hard bound copy of that book cost $150, a new copy of the cut version cost $73. Half the price for 1/4 of the book. In terms of value that book played very differently as a used copy. Students received $10 dollars from the college bookstore... and that was the only place they could sell it. The cut-down version was so specialized to the program I taught in that book buyers refused it.

The full-length textbook was in the used book market. It was and still is available on-line and in private bookstores around many campuses. It had all the chapters, including those of the cutdown version. I recommended students buy it when the campus bookstore ran out of cutdowns...which it almost always did. The buy-back for the complete text was and still is $10-$12...it may or may not include an unused access code for the online materials...depends on whether previous owners went on line, but that can be purchased through the publishers website.





won't this all be moot with e-books? hollysmom Jan 2013 #1
I don't know. What's the average cost per semester for ebooks? Fridays Child Jan 2013 #2
I doubt it. LAGC Jan 2013 #7
A lot of those are either still quite expensive or designed to self-destruct anyway. (nt) Posteritatis Jan 2013 #38
It's moot NOW with "Previous Editions" Volaris Jan 2013 #43
Students should no longer even need a textbook. It is all online. graham4anything Jan 2013 #3
It's a racket GCP Jan 2013 #4
It's like calculators in High School graham4anything Jan 2013 #5
Graphing calculators are superb for exboyfil Jan 2013 #6
What is PSEO? postulater Jan 2013 #13
Post Secondary Education Options exboyfil Jan 2013 #14
Ah! Thanks. I have some of that PSEO postulater Jan 2013 #23
I loved my graphing calculator Aerows Jan 2013 #35
If The Teacher's Name Is On The Book...Drop The Class... KharmaTrain Jan 2013 #17
Most of my ME books at Purdue were exboyfil Jan 2013 #24
That wasn't true in some of the classes I took. hunter Jan 2013 #30
I followed that rule until my last semester of grad school Recursion Jan 2013 #32
I would disagree with the "ego stroke"... teenagebambam Jan 2013 #33
One of the worst Professors I ever had Aerows Jan 2013 #36
Meh. Best lecturer I ever had wrote most of his own textbooks. (nt) Posteritatis Jan 2013 #39
HA! Now they just assign their own book. Our daughter elehhhhna Jan 2013 #31
I agree with your point about students being provided with a computer TheDebbieDee Jan 2013 #10
yup graham4anything Jan 2013 #18
The profit motive also comes into it DeltaLitProf Jan 2013 #8
It's like the rediculous maintenence costs on a BWW/'Benz... OneTenthofOnePercent Jan 2013 #9
except when there is a brand new must have that specific edition, and no used ones. graham4anything Jan 2013 #20
My son bought his text books used ChazII Jan 2013 #26
It's harder to buy used now laundry_queen Jan 2013 #34
I know that I saved hundreds of $ buying used textbooks from Valore.com and Alibris.com TheDebbieDee Jan 2013 #11
I remember being outraged at having to buy new editions of Shakespeare each semester Orrex Jan 2013 #12
Higher Education has been turned into a money-making racket. bemildred Jan 2013 #15
"What are you going to DO, suckers? You NEED this piece of paper to even get yer foot in the door!" HughBeaumont Jan 2013 #19
If your self-image depends on buying your way through *that* door, then you gotta pay the price. lumberjack_jeff Jan 2013 #25
I remember when I was in college I had to pay $100 for a math textbook WooWooWoo Jan 2013 #16
Agree 100% n/t ChazII Jan 2013 #27
Textbooks were always expensive, in inflation corrected dollars they've doubled in price but HereSince1628 Jan 2013 #21
I'm not sure college textbooks are disproportionately expensive. maggiesfarmer Jan 2013 #22
I hate the prices, but it occurs to me that for science and math texts, the proof-reading hedgehog Jan 2013 #28
Or pretty much any of the other disciplines. Posteritatis Jan 2013 #41
Can't buy them used, anymore? nt Honeycombe8 Jan 2013 #29
I have attended college on and off most of my adult life. SheilaT Jan 2013 #37
The really expensive ones tend to be really specialised or those first-year survey textbooks Posteritatis Jan 2013 #40
If you're buying textbooks, kiva Jan 2013 #42
Education ripoff Publiuus Jan 2013 #44
That's an admirable idea, but maybe not practical. Viking12 Jan 2013 #45
Required text Publiuus Jan 2013 #46
Some friendly advice... Viking12 Jan 2013 #47
Not too worried Publiuus Jan 2013 #48
As a current college student, I know this feeling. justanidea Jan 2013 #49
Textbooks Were Ridiculous When I Was In College Too ChoppinBroccoli Jan 2013 #50
It's a disgusting scam jsr Jan 2013 #51
Called monopoly, elleng Jan 2013 #52
That is why I LOVED the rental program at my school Lady Freedom Returns Jan 2013 #53
D'ya ever get the feeling that college isn't focused on learning but is instead focused on profit? nyquil_man Jan 2013 #54
I mostly keep up with math. dimbear Jan 2013 #55
You can rent them here for almost any school: coffeenap Jan 2013 #56
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