# I can't believe this book is so expensive and no library will lend it! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 16, 2003, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-this-book-is-so-expensive-and-no-library-will-lend-it/175784 "2003-05-16T22:33:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Peg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Peg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peg)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2003, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-this-book-is-so-expensive-and-no-library-will-lend-it/175784/21 "2003-05-20T22:27:00Z")
Powells in Portland, OR carries the book ($60, hardback). See: [http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?inkey=62-1403903107-1](http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?inkey=62-1403903107-1) ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-this-book-is-so-expensive-and-no-library-will-lend-it/175784/22 "2003-05-21T03:47:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MisterThyristor \* > \*\*According to the OCLC, the library at the University of Michigan has the book. \*\* From the local community college librarian: > [@](#): > > Mr. [js\_africanus], > I’m sorry, but we cannot get the book The Big Mac Index. There are only 7 holdings for this in OCLC and none of them loan to us. > > [name with held by me] > [a certain] Michigan College If anybody knows a U of M librarian, please give him or her the finger for me. ---
**Author:** ![MisterThyristor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@MisterThyristor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MisterThyristor)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-this-book-is-so-expensive-and-no-library-will-lend-it/175784/23 "2003-05-21T04:32:12Z")
Dang, that sucks! But you might still try the road trip idea. Even if they don’t loan it out, it might be worth a trip to visit the college and look at the book there. At least you’ll know if it’s worth the $60. ---
**Author:** ![ratty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ccd318/32.png) [@ratty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratty)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-this-book-is-so-expensive-and-no-library-will-lend-it/175784/24 "2003-05-21T04:33:02Z")
$60 really doesn’t sound all that unreasonable. It is a specialist text and has not been released in the US yet. (Okay, $60 sounds like highway robbery, but in this market, it’s a bargain.) I am constantly running into problems like this. I am always searching for specialist texts, or rare volumes, or out-of-print volumes. I have absolutely given up on libraries, including major metropolitan and university libraries. They either don’t have what I need, force me to jump through flaming hoops and promise them my firstborn for access to their catalogue, or are just very pointedly unhelpful and deeply unpleasant to deal with. Compound this with the fact that many journals I need are not published in English and so I must go through a laborious translation process, and it’s just easier to shell out the cash than navigate through the hellish labrynth of the US library system. FYI, the most expensive text book I ever purchased was a specialist volume on zoonotics. 400-some pages, $315. Could not be resold. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2003, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-this-book-is-so-expensive-and-no-library-will-lend-it/175784/25 "2003-05-21T06:43:35Z")
[Here](http://www.palgrave.com/pdfs/1403903107.pdf) is a pdf sample from the publisher so you can see if you really want it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-believe-this-book-is-so-expensive-and-no-library-will-lend-it/175784.md?page=1)