This post goes under "better future" as a relevant progressive principle because I have a fantasy of the future. I hope that maybe, one day, textbooks will go down in price.
Woah, hold it there, that's some mighty racy dream you've got, Piper!
Yeah, I know, CRAZY as it may sound, I think that maybe the price of textbooks should, y'know, be lowered? Just a little? So that we starving students can, y'know, do that thing...what's it called...gosh, I can hardly remember, it's been so long since I last...oh yeah! Buy food.
Where is the justice in charging $45 for a paperback that wouldn't exceed $8 at a Barnes and Noble? The companies that produce these books claim that they can't possibly lower prices any more and make a profit.
...yeah. And the oil companies are saying the same thing.
It's all a load of baloney. This is why capitalism is good; it would be nice to see competitive prices on college books. But no, the book distributers price-fix and charge much more than the books are worth. Baloney, I tell you.
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
Book costs are crazy! I spent close to 300 this past semester. Some of the books I barely used and got hardly anything back for them. Just a hint for those who don't know. Sell your books on Amazon after the semester! You can get a lot more for them than what book stores give you.
Jacquie
I totally agree. Books for one semester are costing me the same amount as rent plus water plus electricty plus groceries plus spending money plus gas money. For one month I could get all that, and for the same price get 4 measily books. ugg!
good luck with that I have to go to like 50 web pages and 100 stores to find a book that’s not over $100, what really erks me though is the buy back program its were my school will buy back text books at the end of the semester what sucks is that I spend like $400 on my books and get back $50 its not like they don't sell the used books to student and my books are always in good shape. I am determined to one day spend less than $250 on all my books for semester and get at list $200 back after I am done using them, oh and what’s up with this people why can't the university have one or two copies of gen add book in the library for though of us who only use the book once or twice a semester just to study for the final I mean I have buy the dame thing and them I use it only once cause I got everything out of lecture
I’ll end my little rend on a ply for the insanity to stop I need food and cloths oh and that other over priced thing GAS!
One innovation that my school had was to pool money and buy one copy of every textbook over $40. These copies were put in the library for everyone's use.
That's all dear and fluffy, but I like to mark up my books when I read them. Highlighting and such. And some teachers require you bring books to class. So, while my school's idea is helpful, it doesn't fix the larger problem: that books are too expensive.
Oh, and thanks for the tip, wjc. I'll try Amazon this semester.