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Most you've ever paid for a textbook?

What's the most you've ever paid for a textbook?

  • I've never paid for a textbook

    Votes: 2 6.3%

  • $1-$50

    Votes: 1 3.1%

  • $51-$100

    Votes: 3 9.4%

  • $101-$150

    Votes: 6 18.8%

  • $151-$200

    Votes: 9 28.1%

  • $201-$300

    Votes: 6 18.8%

  • Over $300

    Votes: 5 15.6%
  • Total voters
    32
wordmunger

wordmunger

macrumors 603
Original poster
Sep 3, 2003
5,124
3
North Carolina
I just bought my daughter's textbooks for next year. Her pre-calculus textbook cost $173! Back when I was in college, $73 was an expensive book.

What's the most you've ever paid for a single textbook?
 
uh my book for my java class cost $250......i didn't have to use it until the next java class.
 
i paid well over a hundred bucks a few times for textbooks, but amazon sure saved my bacon more than once. one time, i got the 'new' biochemistry book for 1/3 of the bookstore price at the site because the bookstore had no used books and amazon.com did. don't remember paying more than 200 bucks for one though.
 
For Pre-Cal...really?
...and it was probably a first year being published, so there were no used ones?

For my upper level courses...they were $180+
 
I think $250ish for an anatomy text (it was a custom package BS deal). the prof was a jackass and i ended up dropping the class after the second day anyway so i got a refund for them..i shoulda been able to tell from the way he absolutely demanded we get the latest edition and only the specially packaged set vs. buying a used one online. Sigh.

In comparison, I have had one prof for a psych class that let us use *any* edition of the textbook she wanted, kept notes on the differences between the last three editions or so so we didn't have to figure it out for ourselves, and even offered to buy the text for anyone who couldn't afford it. The two/three-edition old texts were going for $5-10 on Amazon. Now she was awesome.
 
janey said:
I think $250ish for an anatomy text (it was a custom package BS deal). the prof was a jackass and i ended up dropping the class after the second day anyway so i got a refund for them..i shoulda been able to tell from the way he absolutely demanded we get the latest edition and only the specially packaged set vs. buying a used one online. Sigh.

In comparison, I have had one prof for a psych class that let us use *any* edition of the textbook she wanted, kept notes on the differences between the last three editions or so so we didn't have to figure it out for ourselves, and even offered to buy the text for anyone who couldn't afford it. The two/three-edition old texts were going for $5-10 on Amazon. Now she was awesome.
Click to expand...

Now that is amazing. I've never heard of any prof's doing this. WOW. Props to her, for being so amazing to those that need it most.
 
Nicolecat said:
Now that is amazing. I've never heard of any prof's doing this. WOW. Props to her, for being so amazing to those that need it most.
Click to expand...

It was at a community college though. But she admitted that even at $5-10 shipped for the used books, some wouldn't be able to afford it (that's enough to feed a family for a day or two, arguably). And well, she did a great job pointing out the differences between the editions..mostly page numbering and questions mixed around. Her argument was that social psych didn't change enough in 5 years to justify spending 10x on a newer edition, and whatever major changes we should be aware of she'd teach to us personally instead of having us spend that much more money on it.

She is right though. Textbooks are a huge scam. Editions are a huge scam. Not many subjects change so much in such a short time. I will never understand why the hell this is permitted to go on as long as it has :(
 
$180 for a high school U.S. history class for sophomore year, and that book really sucked. The most for this coming year (my senior year) was a $108 United States History AP textbook and $118 for a Statistics AP textbook. All books were bought new.
 
My favorite was the book for Environmental and Natural Resource Economics. It's cost me $125, I never opened it and the bookstore wouldn't buy it back because there was a new version out the next semester.
 
I think the books are a scam...you're already paying so much for the course, why couldn't the book cost be rolled in some how?
 
janey said:
She is right though. Textbooks are a huge scam. Editions are a huge scam. Not many subjects change so much in such a short time. I will never understand why the hell this is permitted to go on as long as it has :(
Click to expand...

Truth. In the Fall of '07, I was forced to buy my French text new from the University bookstore (it was a custom package deal, not available used online). I paid about ~$120 for it, since it was a new edition and no used copies were available. The book was used for two classes though, so it wasn't so bad (I thought). When I went back to the bookstore to sell it back in the spring, they told me they weren't buying used copies because they were going to sell a new edition the next fall. Ridiculous. Over the course of one year, my bookstore was selling a newer edition.

That said, ~$120 is the most I've paid for a textbook. One for a custom math book, and that French package. I buy all of my books used on Amazon unless I'm forced to do so otherwise. With the 18 books I need for next semester, I am saving so much money buying them used through Amazon Marketplace.
 
The most expensive text I had to pay for in university was the Advanced Telecommunications Handbook which cost $345. My Engineering, Science, Comp Sci and Calculus texts were all expensive, but that one definitely took home the award. ;)
 
I think it was between my Psych books and my Chem book. I didn't use either and only got about half of what i spent back.
 
bbbensen said:
Lucky. Im going into high school and I have to buy all my books. :/
Click to expand...

i hate that trend. just glad i didnt have to pay for books in hs


~Shard~ said:
The most expensive text I had to pay for in university was the Advanced Telecommunications Handbook which cost $345. My Engineering, Science, Comp Sci and Calculus texts were all expensive, but that one definitely took home the award. ;)
Click to expand...

mine was 280....and the prof wrote the book. really thin book too, wtf lol. all my engineering courses hovered around 90-160/book
 
Nicolecat said:
I think the books are a scam...you're already paying so much for the course, why couldn't the book cost be rolled in some how?
Click to expand...

Well, even if they were, you'd still be paying for it with higher tuition or higher taxes. They're sure expensive, no question about it. I used to work for a textbook company and I've also written textbooks, so I know a bit about the business, but some of these prices still seem pretty extreme to me.

Nicolecat said:
For Pre-Cal...really?
...and it was probably a first year being published, so there were no used ones?

For my upper level courses...they were $180+
Click to expand...

Yep, a brand-new text. In fact it's not even available yet, so they might not have it for the first day of class.
 
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