Buying Textbooks

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When I first got back to the classroom and started teaching I was amazed at the price of college textbooks. The book I use, I estimated to be selling for about $40-$50. I was shocked to learn that it sold for between $75-$90. I think the price of books is unreasonable and can certainly understand the frustration of college students when it comes to this expense. I know how I felt about years ago when I was a student.

There are websites and places where students can go to find the books at cheaper prices and I think it makes sense to do it. Afford-a-book is one of the sites where you can get prices of college textbooks and purchase what you need. The site has a link to the textbook portion and if you enter the name of the author, or the name of the book, it should being up the information.

If you use this site to buy textbooks, you do need to be careful. Make sure you are getting the correct edition of the book (or that the teacher does not mind an older edition, something that I tell my students is fine). Also, nowadays, sometimes the books come with a bunch of other material. Here it looks like everything is a la cart. Make sure you are getting the materials you need and make sure you are ordering the textbook and not the workbook, or some other associated material. Still, if students can find a way to save money on books, I think it makes sense to take advantage. Good luck!