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Nothing was more infuriating than to have to pay for a new textbook when the new edition had changes that were of no merit, whatsoever. Worse, It was often mandatory to buy the expensive new text when the new content was not even used!

I've always believed that the college textbook market was a ripe target for problems. In college, teachers have the vast power to decide which books will be required for the course. Colleagues push books for each other. Publishers had a lack of competition and could dictate pricing points.

Here's an example: Since when have the basics of Trigonometry changed so substantially that students have to pay for a "new" and "improved" version of the textbook? Are math teachers so overworked that they cannot figure out how to assign homework problems that apply to a calendar year's worth of editions of the textbook?

Is the material that is being taught today so bereft of quality facts, quality theory, historical fact, and fundamentals that a three month school quarter can't pass before the content of the entire used textbook becomes irrelevant? Is the book publishing industry so incapable of producing far cheaper alternatives to bound books that a textbook, with cost effective supplements, can't be resold for at least a couple of years?

If students can't buy used textbooks for the bulk of their courses during a college year, I have suspicions about the quality of course content these days. Are the courses even useful, relevant, or well designed to begin with? Where can the instructor cooperate to insure that rapid changes in information is accommodated by lectures, supplemental material, or internet research? Why would a new text be mandatory when the new material will not even be current or useful after the course in completed?

The source of the problem is that teachers dictate which books are required. Some will take the time (in some cases less than an hour) to review the new edition and determine if the changes are worth mandating a new edition. Does the publisher offer cheaper forms of the material than in book form? Is the software bundle really necessary? The teachers are the first source of cheaper alternatives.

There are now some competitive alternatives to buying textbooks. We could hope that the online markets offer the benefits of comparison shopping. But, again, the teacher decides whether a costly book is required. We could look for passage of laws that require the publishers to inform teachers about cheaper alternatives: are there coverless, loose leaf or other stripped down versions of the book? Do students need the software and other goodies that come bundled with the book? Are those glossy, expensive printing methods for photos and graphics really necessary?

If the teacher can choose from a variety of publishing alternatives and order customized books, that would go a long way toward stopping some of the madness.

I do know that enterprising, poor students have always, and will always be capable of finding their own ways to end the madness. The more "creative" methods are not looking good for either the publisher's or the author's pocketbooks.

Learn more about this author, Elizabeth M. Young.
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