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First of all, let me say that $140 is ridiculous for a textbook -- especially one that "expires". That's just nonsense.
However, I know someone who's written a textbook, and let me tell you, it's disheartening to see that textbook online in pirated form (as a pdf, in this case). When you invest significant time and effort into getting your book written and published, it's very disheartening to see some punks distributing it for free (and one site was adding insult to injury by even charging for users to register so they could download books).
Part of the problem is pricing. When you're dealing with college students, who don't have a lot of money to begin with, charging $100 for a textbook just makes the incentive to get a pirated copy too great. It should be remembered, though, that this isn't necessarily the author's greed. It's publishers that set the prices. Maybe if self-publishing for textbooks takes off, that'll change, but I think that's some way off.
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