[jpr703]

I know everyone complains about the cost of college textbooks, but I've got one now that just goes too far. It's called Chemistry, A Molecular Science written by Dennis W. Wetz and is a second edition published by Pearson.

I paid full price for this book, I don't remember exactly how much, but it was comprable to other normal textbooks and this one has a soft cover. Not only that, but the thin pages are spiral bound with a wire and the book opens like a tablet so that the pages go up-to-down instead of left to right. As if that wasn't enough, every single page is perforated at the top, just like notebook paper that you would want to rip out!

Remember, this is not a lab book and there's no reason in the world why you would want to tear the pages out of your text. The publisher obviously did everything they could to ensure that no used copies of this book will ever exist. Short of writing it on flash paper, I'm hard pressed to think of any steps that could have been taken to further reduce the life expectancy of this expensive and required text. I've had mine about three weeks and it's already falling apart.

I expect to be sodomized, at least a little bit, whenever I walk into a college bookstore but this just goes too far!

 

[Jasper994]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpr703 I know everyone complains about the cost of college textbooks, but I've got one now that just goes too far. It's called Chemistry, A Molecular Science written by Dennis W. Wetz and is a second edition published by Pearson. I paid full price for this book, I don't remember exactly how much, but it was comprable to other normal textbooks and this one has a soft cover. Not only that, but the thin pages are spiral bound with a wire and the book opens like a tablet so that the pages go up-to-down instead of left to right. As if that wasn't enough, every single page is perforated at the top, just like notebook paper that you would want to rip out! Remember, this is not a lab book and there's no reason in the world why you would want to tear the pages out of your text. The publisher obviously did everything they could to ensure that no used copies of this book will ever exist. Short of writing it on flash paper, I'm hard pressed to think of any steps that could have been taken to further reduce the life expectancy of this expensive and required text. I've had mine about three weeks and it's already falling apart. I expect to be sodomized, at least a little bit, whenever I walk into a college bookstore but this just goes too far!

Wow, somebody else here knows what flash paper is...

Seriously though, I know what you mean about text books... freakin' ridiculous!

 

[grandenigma1]

no kidding! the cheapest book i got this semester was $137... actually all but one was $137 the other was $137.70... JERKS!!!

 

[Usagi]

I just saw another thread complaining about the cost of books and figure it's time for Headfi to boast or rant about how much they paid for text books this semester. Maybe we could tally-up the total at the end of the thread.

My bill came out to be $699

I could've bought a lot of toys for that.

 

[grandenigma1]

$726.84

... every single one a new edition!

 

[RickG]

NOTE:

The two 'college textbooks' threads have been combined.

 

[Elec]

Somebody recently was telling me their school would buy back as many textbooks as they could...and throw them away. It turned out it was more profitable for the bookstore to give people say, 20 bucks a book and ensure almost everyone would have to buy new copies the next semester than simply refusing to buy back anything and allowing used copies to float around.

Some students got in a lot of trouble for dumpster diving to grab old books to resell online.

 

[Born2bwire]

If you're really into pinching pennies there are other ways. For example, students at UIUC started a website that is devoted for classified textbooks ads. It allows students to buy used books from each other without going through the bookstore. A far less accessable means is to buy the international versions. Many of my friends buy their textbooks abroad at cheaper prices. Personally, I buy them all from the bookstores, usually new. Textbooks are great resources. There's a lot of times on the job or in classes where I'll go back and look over an old textbook or set of notes as a reference. So I buy into them with the intention of keeping them for future use. In addition, I look at it as part of the education investment. I spend maybe $600-$1000 a year on textbooks (more around <$600 now that I'm taking fewer courses). But this is all petty cash compared to what I would be making if I went out and took a full-time job with the degree that I have.

 

[D-EJ915]

$604.10 this semester.

 

[PSmith08]

When all was said and done, I think I spent almost five hundred on books. I got off easily, and used Amazon/BN for a couple of them.

 

[blip]

Back in undergrad I used to get screwed for about $500-750 a year. And that was either from a relatively fair book store or through the internet.

Just started my first year of grad school and thus far I haven't bought a single book. The library is a wonderful wonderful thing once you are no longer using textbooks.

Actually I've heard some rumblings around campus that the Lt. Gov of Illinois is investigating price-gouging and excessive book requirements... could lead to something but unless someone aranges for some serious student protests, I'd be suprised if it went anywhere.

 

[patman657]

$300 for me. I scored a slightly older edition of the microecon book my professor is making us buy for $18 shipped on Half.com. Compare that with the $100+ my bookstore is charging for the newer edition. My professor even said that the two editions are nearly identical and are interchangeable for the purposes of the class. I got a couple other pretty expensive books on Half, too. My only complaint is that I can't resell my $72 "Management as a System" textbook because my school published it themselves, and much of it is cut and pasted off the internet. But when all is said and done (after I sell off my books at the end of the semester), I will only have spent about $150 on books.

 

[Figo]

over $400, mix of new and used.
ugh.

 

[Salt Peanuts]

When I was in college, which at this point is already few years ago, I used to routinely pay around $400 each semester for various books and manuals. Of course, I had two majors (Biochem and Philosophy) so that didn't help the matter.

 

[Teerawit]

$175 this semester...only cuz I am borrowing a math textbook from a friend.

In the past I have been paying around $300 a semester.