I'm a philosophy lecturer. I know that my students don't have a lot of money. So, while I may recommend a heavily annotated and expensive translation and commentary of Plato's Theaetetus, I also mention the cheap paper versions and the electronic free versions available. They all feature on my booklists. If the students borrow the expensive version from the library and photocopy the notes then that is up to them.
I also point them towards second-hand book sites.
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