An unbelievable show of how much textbook publishers completely screw students over

[baseline bum]

This is amazing; I was on Amazon looking for a copy of one of my favorite books of all time, Structure and Interpretation of Computer programs, and I saw two copies of the book that looked almost identical except the cover on sale for wildly different prices.

Book 1
http://www.amazon.com/Structure-Inte...3284221&sr=8-1

Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, Second Edition (Hardcover)
by Harold Abelson, Gerald Jay Sussman
Hardcover: 657 pages
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math; 2 edition (August 1, 1996)
Language: English
$111.60

Book 2

Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs - 2nd Edition (MIT Electrical Engineering and Computer Science)
by Harold Abelson, Gerald Jay Sussman
Hardcover: 657 pages
Publisher: The MIT Press; 2 edition (July 25, 1996)
Language: English
$59.04

I was in shock. The exact same edition of the same book, both hardcovers, and one is twice as much. Then I read the critique from a Caltech professor whose class uses this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Press-edition-...sin=0262011530

As I tell my students, the MIT press version uses dark blue ink (really violet) on the cover, whereas the McGraw-Hill book uses light blue ink. Obviously, light blue ink is so much more expensive than dark blue ink as to more than double the price of the entire book.

Snark aside, the real reason is that textbook publishers gouge the textbook-buying public, and specifically the bulk-buyers. I tried to bulk-buy the MIT Press version, hoping to save money for my students, but I was told that only the McGraw-Hill version could be purchased in bulk (e.g. 100 copies at a time, for a course). I find this system reprehensible, but don't blame the authors; they've put the entire contents of the book on the MIT Press website where it can be read for free. I've met two of the authors and they are wonderful people.

Note that there is exactly zero, zip, nada difference between the two editions. They are identical except for the cover.

Sickening. Like the prof said, this book is completely free to read online; one of the authors, Hal Abelson, is the founder of the Free Software Foundation (Its most famous work is in funding the GNU project; the one that has given us all GNU/Linux for free both as in free beer and as in freedom). The other author, Sussman, is also a member of the FSF and publishes his texts online for free also. It's certainly not greed of the authors causing this .

Here's the full book online; if you have any interest in computer science, this is maybe the best book ever written on the subject.
http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/full-text/book/book.html

you McGraw-Hill.

[thispego]

damn, that's your favorite book of all time?

[baseline bum]

damn, that's your favorite book of all time?

Haha. You went to school once, right? You're not outraged at how these publishers all over students who don't have much money to begin with?

[baseline bum]

damn, that's your favorite book of all time?

... and yes, it is.

[thispego]

Haha. You went to school once, right? You're not outraged at how these publishers all over students who don't have much money to begin with?

oh yeah man, total bull . only thing that made buying them bearable was knowing i could go back to the bookstore and seel them back for about 30%-40% return. otherwise ida just buddied up with someone and mooched off their book. lol

[baseline bum]

oh yeah man, total bull . only thing that made buying them bearable was knowing i could go back to the bookstore and seel them back for about 30%-40% return. otherwise ida just buddied up with someone and mooched off their book. lol

LOL. I eventually quit buying the textbooks too, unless they were something I was going to keep for sure after the class was over. Thankfully, our library was awesome and I'd just keep checking out better textbooks on the subject and study from them.

[Phenomanul]

I highly recommend this book.

and shame on McGraw-Hill....

[The Reckoning]

i only purchased two books this semester. the rest i look up online from the notes i take in class, or stuff the prof posts online.

[Jekka]

My last semester at UTSA, I had to get a 300 page paperback whose list price was $120. FOR A PAPERBACK. Luckily I found it on ebay for $30, but still. Ridiculous.

[balli]

Petty tyranny sucks.

[CuckingFunt]

I like when professors intentionally choose inexpensive books. I have a Dada/Surrealism class this semester with an absolutely beautiful 300+ textbook that has page after page of reproductions (and, for those who don't know, art history texts are usually ridiculously expensive because of all those glossy reproductions), but the book is an older edition (from 2005, so still pretty new) and was in the bookstore for $25.00. Brand new.

[thispego]

oooooooooook

[Udokafan05]

I wish they gave 30-40% back. Last summer i had to spend $250 for one book for summer spanish class.

[IronMexican]

Thank god I never finished High School.

[J.T.]

Thank god I never finished High School.

That's usually not something to be very proud about.

[Dr. Gonzo]

That's usually not something to be very proud about.

Actually quite the contrary. In this day and age with teachers giving out passing grades for work simply because the student "makes an effort" it would be quite difficult to not get through high school.

So congrats on your achievement Iron . You done good.

[AlamoSpursFan]

Thank god I never finished High School.

That's usually not something to be very proud about.

"Well, the world needs ditch diggers too..." -- my dad, every time he saw my report card.



Screw you, pops! I'm a trucker! Woohoo!!!

[mrsmaalox]

I haven't dealt with text books in quite a while, but this thread made me smile. Especially the engineer-types! My dad is a PhD. Electrical Engineer and has such a text book fetish. I was fortunate that he paid for every one of my books, as well as my brother's and several cousins'. The only stipulation was that the books be returned to him upon course completion and he kept every single one. He has quite a library going!

[tlongII]

That is BOOLSHEET! I always wondered why my textbooks were so gotdam expensive. I'm just glad I finished my college ed many years ago. I don't know how I would afford it now...

[Frenzy]

i suppose there is no company renting out books... or even a library for this kinda thing huh

[resistanze]

I remember in first year I spent well over a grand on textbook. By my final year, I probably spent like $100 in 8 different courses. It's a ing cash grab.

[ShoogarBear]

So I take it then none of you will be buying my new textbook, Fundamentals and Principles of Purchasing Classroom Reading Materials?

[EricB]

Supply and demand.

[TDMVPDPOY]

every year theres always a new edition and its always the same crap anyway but on different pages.....

wtf are we forced to buy new editions when the previous contains just as much the same content.....

it totally s up the value of the textbook when ur trying to resell it....

ps. i hate it when ur book levys end up costing more than ur school uniform or even half of your school fees....

[baseline bum]

Supply and demand.

More like gouging students on something they are required to have (especially if the teacher sucks). If it's not a subject you're proficient in, then it's basically a monopoly opportunity. It's the American way to on the weak though. What student can afford 100% markups?