It seems to me that publishers of textbooks have quite the scam going, and they’re probably in cahoots with the universities.
I’d like to hear about some experiences related to whether the latest and greatest edition of the text was or was not sufficient for a particular class. In other words, was that 13th edition literature text that you paid $149 for *really *all that necessary? Or did your buddy do just fine with the 12th edition that he grabbed off of ebay for $37.50?
ALWAYS ask your professor how necessary the lastest edition is for class, and let them know what the price difference is. They’re usually pretty unaware of the situation and will let you by. One statistics class I was in, the professor used the 3rd edition, which was about 40 years old. He had scrounged up nearly every copy in the country up. They cost like $6.
The only time I’ve had even the slightest bit of trouble was when the online bookseller sent me an international edition of my Biology book. The questions at the end of the chapters were different. The content inside each chapter was identical. So for the cost of 12 single sheet copies (12 chapters covered) in the library with my lab partner’s borrowed book, my problem was solved.
All of my nursing texts were at least one edition back; several of them were two or three. Yes, there was some outdated information in them, but with the internet, it was easy to check current best practices/medications/theories.
But to be totally honest, I didn’t use the text at all in 90% of my classes. The math classes, I got online access to the text. The other classes, I just didn’t really need them. If you have a pulse and most of a brain and attend class, you knew what you needed - for the classes I took. I understand that some teachers put questions on their exams that they don’t ever talk about in class, but I’ve been lucky enough to never have that happen to me. Anything we discussed in class that I felt I needed further clarification on, I have the internet for. (Though it was important in nursing school to remember two sets of facts: the current accepted “truth” and what the teacher thought. Lots of outdated information in teachers’ heads, but that’s what you’ve got to regurgitate on the exams.)
My advice: don’t buy the text before the first day of class. Look at the syllabus and see how much reading is really required. Talk to the teacher. If you do need a text, get the online edition. They’re lighter, they’re more easily searchable, and they include a LOT of extra content in the forms of videos, diagrams, sample test questions and more.
Also note that the textbook people are wise to the money savers. In my experience, new additions have shuffled up page numbers, chapters, and any other shenanigans the publisher can tinker with. This can lead to some confusion at best, or complete chaos at worst (think Math problems).
I think the above advice is best: Before buying the book talk to your teacher and see how much reading is really required. If the class is book intensive, buy the pdf version. If the professor doesn’t use it, forgo the text completely.
It’s not just a scam. Text books need to be updated to correct errors, update information, improve the quality of the book and change answers so that it’s harder to cheat from someone’s old homework.
Textbooks also have a low profit margin compared to other books, largely because they sell in small volumes. Publishers would argue that the used book market actually increases the prices for the books because they sell such a small number of new ones, relatively speaking. I’m not going to argue for their side, but I’ve seen the numbers; they’re not outperforming other businesses in the publishing industry.
As for whether it’s necessary to buy a new one: the advice given already is good. Talk to the professor to find out how much of a difference it makes.
I, as a college (math) teacher, would almost always love to stick with the old edition of a textbook, but sometimes the Book Guy to whom I must turn in my list of required texts tells me that the older edition is no longer available. This is a pain in the ass for me, because it means I have to update all my page number references and homework assignments, even if there aren’t substantial changes to the content of the text itself.
If the instructor assigns homework from the textbook (as I do), things like page numbers, problem numbers, and sometimes (though not always) the exercises themselves will change from one edition to the next, so you have to have the same edition the assignments refer to.
So, yeah, the only definitive answer to this question is “Ask your instructor.”
Depending on the class, I’ve been able to get away with using the library copy. The school library kept 2 or 3 copies on hand for use in the library only, and I’d read the important chapter or photocopy the questions to work on later. Honestly, the textbooks I bought ended up being mostly for making me look smart by taking up space on my bookshelves. Again, it depends on the class and the professor. Some profs put “required” textbooks on the syllabus because they’re expected to have *something *on there, even if they’re mostly going from their own notes in class.
Our school encouraged teachers to put texts on a “Required” list, because then WIA programs like Workforce Development will give their recipients vouchers to pay for them. If they’re not “Required”, they won’t pay. So things end up on the required list even if they’re merely recommended or supplemental.
The book I’m using now is very similar between 7th and 8th editions. It’s just updated with some new research and such. I put both in my syllabus, and tell students they can choose whichever, with the caveat that there may be differences I missed.
Ever approached the company and asked them to put an intern on the task of converting all that for you? I’d be interested to see what they say. Though I suppose it’s a useful task to go through and see what’s different.
I have two undergraduate degrees - biochemistry and mechanical engineering.
I almost never bought the latest edition of textbooks, even for ones where homework was assigned out of the book. It’s a hell of a lot cheaper to photocopy a few pages of questions than it is to get the latest edition of the book.
Here’s a pro-tip: textbooks have tables of contents and indecies!!!
If you aren’t smart enough to use the TOC or index to discover that “Taylor series” questions in one edition of the book is in chapter 11 and page 456 instead of chapter 10 and page 398, then you are too stupid to be in university or college.
Heck, for half of my classes, I used an entirely different textbook: different author, different questions, different chapters but - get this - SAME MATERIAL. The laws of physics, the names of the parts of a cell, the methods for solving first order partial differential equations don’t change simply because someone else wrote them down and used a blue book cover instead of a green one. Again, if you aren’t bright enough to figure this out, you might want to reconsider your educational path. Using a different book gives you the advantage of seeing the material explained slightly differently too, which can only help reinforce your knowledge.
Save your money - buy older or different textbooks.
Way back when I was in college, (an engineering school, BTW, from 1948 thru 1952) the modern insatiable need to get the latest text didn’t seem to be in evidence.
As an example, the required text for Analytical Geometry was the 1929 edition. Didn’t have one color illustration , but all the necessary stuff was there.
That 1929 book is still my goto source if I find myself faced with an Analytical Geometery question.
This is how it was when I was a math instructor. Every year the publishers would put out a new edition with a few of the chapters moved around. There was no choice but to make all of the new students get the new edition else we couldn’t do assignments. Brilliant planned obsolescence. It only really worked in introductory classes with very standardized books.
As a student, I got around this in a few classes by borrowing books, using older editions, using library editions and working the instructor. My son, now in college, does the same thing and probably saves $200-300 a semester on books.
I appreciate all the ‘ask the instructor’ responses, but that won’t work for me. This is an online class and I don’t even know who the instructor will be. It starts in three weeks, buying a used book means I have to allow time for delivery.
I think I’ll roll the dice and take my chances. It’s a literature class, and the text, it seems, is merely an anthology of short stories and poems (any of which should not be hard to locate if necessary).
mmm
My fellow accounting students had the same issues…the problems in the back that we’re required for homework were different between different editions.
Also, because there actually were fairly significant changes to accounting standards due to sox et.al. when I was in school, some of the books did have out of date information. Tax textbooks get obsolete fairly quickly if you aren’t smart enough to double check the current social security wage cap, for instance.
I took a Bankruptcy class in law school and it required the latest edition: $175. The next-latest edition was $17 on Amazon. I was in a similar situation in that I couldn’t ask the professor beforehand so I bought the new version. Others in the class bought the old version, so I compared.
The only changes were that 2 cases were added dealing with Bernie Madoff (which we could have looked up on Westlaw or LexisNexis) and three chapters were switched or renumbered.
I would take the chance with the old version, but ask on the first day of class. Worst case scenario is that you sell the old version back and have to buy the new version and overnight ship it, which is about 3 bucks with Amazon Prime…
For most classes, I didn’t even need the textbook in the first place, so I saved my money by not buying them. If it turned out that I needed the book after all, I just bought it at that time and borrowed a copy until the one I ordered arrived.
Actually, right now, I’m in the opposite situation. I’m working on a project that involves updating material with information so new that it’s not even in the most recent textbooks and reference books yet. It’s a lot of fun to searching for information about a drug, only to find out that was withdrawn from clinical trials late last year.
Indices. It’s a good tip as long as the textbook hired a quality indexer. I had more than one college textbook where if I was lucky, the necessary information was only a page away from where the index said it was.
I swear I typed that word 3 different ways and finally gave up - it looked wrong no matter what I did. Thanks for correcting it I will now go find out why the hell my spellcheck isn’t working.
I’ve had books with terrible indices too, but I still managed. A lot of topics are related to other ones, so you can always look up a different key word or general chapter that will get you close to what you’re looking for. This often helps your brain, as you sort information into related topics anyways.
Also, most of these books are archived on Google Books. You can’t get the whole thing, since they deliberately chop out pages, but you can certainly search online for the topic, find the page number, then use your hard copy. I studied for a Numerical Methods exam using Google Books, as I didn’t even own a hard copy of the text (I had to defer the exam one year, and I had borrowed the book when I originally took the class and since returned the book to a friend)
For a lot of older literature, Project Gutenberg has it all available; the only caution is for things that were translated, though the most popular translations are usually the ones available anyways. Shakespeare is Shakespeare whether you spend $7.99 for a paperback or get it for free online, since it’s out of copyright anyways.
There are so many ways to save money, if only you’re willing to put in a bit of work and thought.
If it turned out that I needed the book after all, I just bought it at that time and borrowed a copy until the one I ordered arrived.
I will now go find out why the hell my spellcheck isn’t working.