Nija

So I enrolled in class, and yesterday was payday, so I head down to the school bookstore to purchase my class books.

I'm taking two classes. neither of them had Used books (of course ). Each book is ~$80.00.

cost me $161 and some change. However on the upside I think both of them will have some longevity, one is a book on auto repair and upkeep, etc. and the other is for my introduction to UNIX.

and the saddest part is... it cut into my beer money

Oh well I'm off to better myself, at a snail's pace

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"Nija is the dark soul of gotapex. We don't like to talk about him." - LPMiller

Grubbie

You got off lucky though, 161 for two books is pretty good. I remember my calc 4 book was about 110$ for a paperback book. Physics books are the worst though.

But yes, books suck, especially when you buy the book and your professor wrote it...

Nija

My auto book is that way. Well to be honest, He's another teacher in the department, but I am proud... the book is up-to-date, it's last revision was in 1997

PrObLy

My books this semester were only $500

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DaFunkyUnit

only?

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mcs328

160 for two books is nothing. Those must be thin book. I remember the math books were expensive and then you had to but the answer book also. I think I spent around 500-600 a semester on books.

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Markel

I wonder if any legislative body has ever launched an investigation into suspected text book price fixing?

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sbp

Study: Students spending staggering amounts on textbooks

For college students, few things are more maddening than the textbook buying rush that clogs up university bookstores at the start of each semester -- except for, that is, the inevitably staggering bill.

A study released Thursday of 10 public colleges in California and Oregon found that students will spend nearly $900 in the current academic year on textbooks.

The study, by State Pirg, a nationwide consumer watchdog group, also found that 59 percent of students surveyed said used textbooks were difficult or impossible to find because newer editions had taken their place.

"Textbook publishers are ripping off students," said Kate Rube, an associate with the group's Higher Education Project, which conducted the study. "It's appalling that textbook publishers are playing these kind of games."

The group charges that textbook publishers resort to marketing gimmicks, such as "bundling" texts with additional instructional materials or offering new editions of books that contain minor changes, to flood the market with souped-up versions of popular textbooks that jack up their price.

The group said that while half of all textbooks come with supplemental materials, 65 percent of faculty surveyed said they rarely or never used the extra items in their classes.

But publishers said they need to keep books updated for college professors, who often ask for the most current editions, raising the books' cost, said Pat Schroeder, president of the Association of American Publishers. Putting out new editions "keeps the books much [more] valuable," Schroeder said.

"The professor decides what he wants," she said.

Publishers cannot control the availability of used texts in college bookstores because it depends on how many students decide to resell their books, she added.

Former classics professor Martin Snyder said he has tried ordering used books for his students but found that publishers rarely stock more than current editions of textbooks.

"It's easy to say it's up to the professor to pick a cheaper book, but there aren't any," said Snyder, director of planning and development at the American Association for University Professors.

The issue of overpriced textbooks has reached the Capitol, where lawmakers have introduced legislation to battle a "national problem" that is adding to the skyrocketing tuition fees that prevent some families from sending their children to college.

"It's not just the tuition. There are so many additional costs," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., who offered a bill Thursday that would provide working families with a tax break for up to $1,000 in textbook costs.

And as for the updated, glossier textbooks that hit the shelves every year, not all of them really need to be changed, Snyder said.

"If you're in the humanities and you're teaching Walt Whitman -- well, Walt Whitman hasn't changed a whole lot in the last 50 years," he said.

Bires

got|half.com?

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Five years...

PrObLy

That's the best way to do it, unless if the professor strikes up a deal with one of the local book stores and packages along another book with the main text book that is unavailable on its own.

ski

I've had that happen... They bundle the large text book with the lab manual, and you cannot buy the lab manual by itself. It's ridiculous.

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