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Re: textbook prices



Dan and Paul,
The start of the escalation of book prices and the primary
restructuring of the way books are sold was a Supreme Court Decision "The
IRS verses the Thor Tool Company" if memory serves. Unfortunately I don't
think you can blame this one on Reagan. Previously companies were not taxed
or taxed at a lesser rate on spare parts, things that they did not sell
every year. The court said no, so everything on inventory at the end of the
year is taxed. Previously scholarly books were printed once and sold over a
number of years. So the book companies raised their prices to reflect these
new costs plus a little. Then inflation and increases in paper costs gave
another hike, etc.
I think the biggest effect from our point of view has been the
skewing of availability of books verses their cost. Freshmen texts are
obviously a big money maker by all the free stuff they are giving away to
get us to use them and advanced texts cost relatively much more and are not
always obtainable. Plus since advanced texts earn much less money, there are
few incentives to publish new ones.
Another effect of this ruling is that electronic instruments that
were made in the late eighties with application specific integrated circuits
are no longer repairable because they don't inventory the parts whereas
older instruments the used "standard" IC's are.
My first sliderule cost more than the last scientific calculator I
bought. Time to feel like an old man and get off my soapbox.

Gary

Gary Karshner

St. Mary's University
San Antonio, Texas
KARSHNER@STMARYTX.EDU