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textbook prices (was jaw dropper)



Although I no more approve of book weasels (buyers/sellers of
promotional copies) than John does, I doubt that these people
have a major effect on textbook prices. What drives textbook
prices up is a complicated mixture of corporate greed, instructor
apathy, author apathy, and student helplessness.

A physics editor at a major publisher recently told me that
instructors in many other disciplines do consider price when
choosing what textbook to adopt, but that physics instructors
are on the apathetic extreme in this respect. To some extent
I can understand this; for instance, the electrodynamics text
by Griffiths is so much better than the others (imho) that
it compensates for the $80 price. But when I adopted this text
I wrote an angry letter to Prentice-Hall, and I also made sure
there was a copy on reserve for students who didn't wish to buy
the book. I did the same with Stowe's statistical mechanics
text (which I'm not so crazy about). I think if more instructors
would complain loudly about textbook prices and inform publishers,
it would help. Even better, we should inform publishers when
we've decided *not* to use their books, or when our students,
despite our adopting the book, are not buying it because of the
price.

I'm also discovering that authors can have some constrol over
textbook prices, but the publishers have to be dragged kicking
and screaming through any negotiations over contract language
limiting price. (I can relate some personal experiences if anyone
out there is interested.)

Students, as well, should inform publishers when they're not buying
a book because of price. Another minor point is that some bookstores
mark up textbooks more than others, so sometimes students can save
by going to their nearest independent bookstore and special-ordering
the book at a price lower than that of their campus bookstore.
They won't save much this way, though.

-dan