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I have bought many older editions of textbooks and have not had a problem with any of them except for one case. It was statistics book two editions past and Table A-2 in the appendix was different, but I did not find that to be a hinderance since (A) I could look up the 'new' information online (B) obtain a copy of the 'new' table from somewhere else.
Like you, I have found that I did not need the majority of textbooks that I have purchased and most of them seemed to function more as reference material to the lecture.
Risk involved? This would depend on the course and the teacher. The best thing that you can do is to ask a student who has taken a course by the same professor that you plan on taking and asking them if the book was required, how much it was used, etc. Do not, I repeat, do not ask the professor (they will always tell you to buy the text book, or at least strongly suggest that you do).
I have bought many older editions of textbooks and have not had a problem with any of them except for one case. It was statistics book two editions past and Table A-2 in the appendix was different, but I did not find that to be a hinderance since (A) I could look up the 'new' information online (B) obtain a copy of the 'new' table from somewhere else.
Like you, I have found that I did not need the majority of textbooks that I have purchased and most of them seemed to function more as reference material to the lecture.
Risk involved? This would depend on the course and the teacher. The best thing that you can do is to ask a student who has taken a course by the same professor that you plan on taking and asking them if the book was required, how much it was used, etc. Do not, I repeat, do not ask the professor (they will always tell you to buy the text book, or at least strongly suggest that you do).
Yeah, I've found that out!
Thanks for the reply. I'm just trying to save myself a few hundred this year. And like I said (or I think I said?), it's primarily 101 gen-ed type courses, not info that is beyond general knowledge... all beginning History, Gov't, etc.
You run the risk when buying a different edition of not having the same chapters in the same order, as well as (in the case of math and science) having completely different problem sets.
When i get my book lists i always check to see if they have those books in the libraries on campus, and see if they've been reserved by the professor to be put on in-library use only. If they haven't I request the professor to reserve the books so that my fellow classmates and I have a free copy to use. granted, you have to sit in the library to read/use it, but it's free. Professors usually will do this for students if they ask.
I've also done this and made copies of the pages to take back with me. It's usually cheaper to copy a book than to buy it, even if it's used (5 cents a page, 20 pages to a buck, 500 page book=25 bucks) Or if they have a scanner, i've also scanned the pages and saved them to my computer to read/use. Of course i'm sure that there are probably laws against doing this, but it's not like you're going to turn around and sell the photocopies.
I know the textbook question has been hashed and re-hashed here and this is an offshoot of all that. My question is about buying an edition of a textbook for a college course other than what the course "requires"... so if the 10th edition is $150 used, but the 9th is out there for $20, is there really going to be any huge difference, i.e. a difference that would cause me to fail a test or quiz??
I am sick to death (like everyone else) of the textbook prices. When I can, I buy online, or through Craigslist, but often I find I don't get my financial aid check until the very last minute and if I know the book is needed for the course, I have no time to buy online or whatever. It's frustrating. What's also very frustrating is that none of the local school bookstores here publish the ISBN on their websites in the section to order books. I have to physically GO there and look them up one by one! Jerks!
Anyway, what do y'all think (or know) about buying books one or two editions prior to save money? How many editions can one safely go back? I have tried asking one instructor, because the 9th edition was available at the library but the teacher "required" the 10th, and I kept asking her if the 9th would suffice (since I could use it at the library) for the 5 week summer course, and she just kept repeating "The course requires the 10th edition"...
Most courses I've taken so far, I either didn't need the text at all, or needed it as back up to study for tests to supplement my own notes. Is there a way to find out EXACTLY what the changes are from one edition to the next?
Impossible to answer. Some new editions are virtually the same as the old ones. In such cases, the shake up is in the problems. Other editions are complete rewrites.
How to know? Ask the professor of the class you are taking.
Your instructor sounds like a moron. Some of us are more sensitive to the costs faced by college students.
Note that instructor resources are the enticement to require a new textbook. The more masterful the prof, the less of a need to require on new editions. Finally, as "bling" becomes more expected in the classroom, students dig their own financial graves. Students today expect PPT and PDF slides and are too lazy to take their own notes. I'll take a brilliant professor, chalkboard and chalk and hand-typed assignments anyday.
Sounds like an opportunity for the student union to get involved...
When i get my book lists i always check to see if they have those books in the libraries on campus, and see if they've been reserved by the professor to be put on in-library use only. If they haven't I request the professor to reserve the books so that my fellow classmates and I have a free copy to use. granted, you have to sit in the library to read/use it, but it's free. Professors usually will do this for students if they ask.
I've also done this and made copies of the pages to take back with me. It's usually cheaper to copy a book than to buy it, even if it's used (5 cents a page, 20 pages to a buck, 500 page book=25 bucks) Or if they have a scanner, i've also scanned the pages and saved them to my computer to read/use. Of course i'm sure that there are probably laws against doing this, but it's not like you're going to turn around and sell the photocopies.
Asking your professor to put the book on reserve is really smart.
Copying the book is not smart. Talking about copying the book on the internet is even less smart.
What you are describing is deliberate copyright violation. If you get caught, it will be very, very expensive. The judge won't care that you did not sell the photocopies.
You need to look at the cost of your textbooks for what they are: an investment in your future. I spent ten years paying off my undergraduate loans. It is the best money I ever have spent.
Your education isn't about putting a check in a box that says you did something. You REALLY need to know that stuff. But the book. Read it. Twenty years later, you will be going on to city data forums telling kids what I am telling you now.
Best of luck to you!
PS - don't post anything to your Facebook page that you wouldn't want to present to the boss at your dream job 15 years from now.
I personally don't think it is worth it, especially in the sciences since new info is always being added. I mistakenly bought the wrong edition for my medical physiology course last year and come to find out several chapters had been added dealing with cancer. This was a major chunk of the class, and trying to play catch up( quick get the money together to buy the right edition so you can read the chapter before a quiz or test comes on the material) that can have terrible effects on your grades not to mention the stress.
I have learned if I don't have the money to buy the book before class to check out he library, they usually have the right book and I will check it out before anyone else can so I can read, or photocopy the pages, or scan the pages (free) as needed, until I can buy the textbook.
I know some schools are using a rental service for textbooks now.
Makes it a whole lot easier to save money, stay up to date, and keep your shelves free from unwanted clutter.
Also, it's good for those of us that are poor at certain subjects and are well aware that it might take a few years before the lessons finally stick.
This has been going on for years. The thing is - when folks graduate - most are focused on using that degree and forget. I have been complaining about this since the late 70's. While it is true, some changes are critical and you need the new edition - but in my case, the changes were miniscule, and the profess could have just augmented in lecture. Often found that the text was just reference and rarely used while some used the text verbatim. I noticed that the new edition always cost more in addition the profess often had monetary ties to the text - I also noticed during the 70's that if you sold your book back at the end of the semester= they would pay less than 50% yet resale the book for 90%
Seems like there should be some kind of cross the board ethics when updating a required college book - since many cost over 100 bucks
I say college cost is the scam that no none wants to complain about - when I graduated - I owed 2 thousand in loans 1980 - when my daughter graduated in 2003, she owed 30 plus in loans and we both attended state colleges
The whole system needs to be re-evaluated - including housing cost - but - folks forget about it once they graduate and leave the new folks coming into to it with - how can I afford this ****!!
I know some schools are using a rental service for textbooks now.
Makes it a whole lot easier to save money, stay up to date, and keep your shelves free from unwanted clutter.
Also, it's good for those of us that are poor at certain subjects and are well aware that it might take a few years before the lessons finally stick.
Renting textbooks does save you money up front, but at the end of the semester you lose the ability to recoup any money from reselling textbooks. Not to mention that you are SOL if you want to keep the book. You also pay a damage fee if you return the book in a more "used" condition than what would be deemed acceptable.
If you resell the textbooks back to the bookstore, you more than likely would come out even (i.e., any money spent buying the books minus any money received from reselling the books to the bookstore generally equals the rental costs).
However, I have found that textbooks have a higher resale value if you offer them directly to students or sell them on Amazon or Half (where you can set your own price). My Gen Chem textbook was $175 new, $130 used. I bought my used copy on-line for $80. I resold the book to another student for $100. I made $20 and the student saved $30.
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And like I said (or I think I said?), it's primarily 101 gen-ed type courses, not info that is beyond general knowledge... all beginning History, Gov't, etc.
Amazon for buying textbooks
