But textbooks are a major ripoff and often times you're not given much of an alternative. Even 100-page little manuals will cost up to $100 dollars. its insane and so unfair.
yeah text books are a ripoff and sadly many times profs are in cahoots where you need to have the latest edition. which is like you dr mindbender...did basic accounting change so radically in a year that edition 5 just does not work and edition six is the holy grail of all things accounting?
even when there are major policy changes like when the glass steagel act was repealed or when the idiotic no use sarbanes oxley was put in place, it changes maybe a chapter or part of it.
text books are one area where students are hostages, but even a decade ago, used books were a big business, uni book store will give you 20 cents on teh dollar for a book that was used one semester, while u can get atleast 40% at one of the independent book places and buy used books for 50% price rather tha the 75-80% of a new book price the uni bookstore was charging.