Quote:
Originally Posted by Richey79
It's the four 'revised' editions the publisher spewed out with merely cosmetic changes in the intervening five years that people regard as exploiting impecunious students.
Nobody was calling the text-book authors lazy or greedy - the dig was at the publishers and their seemingly universal tactics to gouge a captive market.
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I can't speak to all cases, of course, but with my brother's textbook there are no "revised" editions between the scheduled rewrites--just a new edition cycle every four or five years. I don't think his case is unusual.
I have a daughter in college right now, so believe me, I am sympathetic to the student side, as well. The prices on these books are shockingly high, and if she can get a used textbook I tell her to go for it. I don't think she's ever been told she couldn't do that, unless maybe once or twice because there were substantive differences.
Sadly, I don't think she'd be interested in e-versions, even if they were available. (Unless they were
way cheaper.)