Nae You are Paying Too Much for Your Textbooks Brady Ehler, OP Features Editor dooray! Student loans are in! There’s money for everyone! Alright kids, now that we're finan- ially equipped, it’s time to get books, and suddenly have no money. If my editor would allow £ you better believe I'd have put a big frowny-face at the end of that last sentence (Editor’s 1ote: Sorry B, this is a newspaper not MSN Messenger). I am taking three courses this semester. Thus far, I’ve bought books for two of those ‘ourses, and I’m already out $218.52. Lucky for me, I’ve been going to college for a while now Ad I’m used to taking a hit on books prices. I hardly ground my teeth at all when I forked wer my last $20.00 then asked the cashier to try swiping my bank card again. This is what I got for my $218.00 (minus GST) for my hard-earned (Editor’s note: Or zovernment loaned) moola: © Volumes A and B of Norton’s English Literature anthology ($67.35) © Physical Geology Textbook ($135.35) © English Literature Course Pack ($5.45) © Seething hatred for bookstore and publishers (priceless) My biggest beef is with the Geology text. I had to pay $135 for a book that I will use for me course, then never look at again. And what’s worse, it’s not even a hardcover. Of course the bookstore didn’t carry any used copies because the brand-spankin’ new oth edition is the required reading. New features of this mystical 6th edition include: A new picture on the front of the tex minor layout changes on the chapter introductory pages, and the movement of the chapter plate tectonics to the beginning of the book (instead of after the chapter on minerals where SHOULD be). The preface also boasts the final chapter: Geology and humanity have been completely 1 written! Actually, the final chapter has not been rewritten at all. The chapter was not include: the fifth edition. This may seem like a good reason to put out a new edition. However, we v not be studying this new chapter in class, nor will we be tested on it. Despite these massive changes, our instructor told us on the first day of class that we would be free to use the 5th edition, should we be able to acquire one. I decided to run a w search to find out how much a used copy of the 5th edition would have cost me. The avera used copy of the 5th edition on Amazon.ca goes for $43.97! You’ve got to be kidding me! That’s less than a third of what I paid for mine and it’s a hardcover to boot. Oh well, surely the English Literature texts are not so atrociously marked up. After all, they’re filled with invaluable classics. $67.35 isn’t that bad for two books, even if one of the is only 484 pages and neither are hardcover. Well, for $68.20, (that’s 85 cents more) again or Amazon.ca, I could have bought the comp/ete Norton Anthology of English Literature, in ha cover. The complete anthology, by the way includes all of the requited text material for both the English Literature courses offered at the college. The olive on this poop-sandwich is the course pack. I know, I know, it’s only $5.45...but 35 pages of handouts. Whatever happened to free handouts? Handouts are supposed to be comp! I know I have only myself to blame. I could have checked off-campus and online book- stotes first. I could have scoured the bulletin boards for a deal or asked all of my friends if they had an old copy of the text that I could borrow. At the very least, I could have shown at the library a couple of hours earlier to check for overpriced used copies. But alas, I was impatient. I have been a fool. I know many of you have been foolish like me. Take heart though, for now you know tt rumors are true: you really can get a better deal by searching off-campus book stores. If you aren’t sure what texts books you need for your course, you can always check out the campus bookstore webpage at: http://www.douglas.bc.ca/services/bookstore.html to find out. Sifting through bulletin boards can be an arduous task, but if you explore the boards clc to your new classes you might have some success. If you’re lucky enough to be taking classe at the David Lam campus, there are tables set up for a book swap at the beginning of each semester. The student union used to organize a book swap in the New West Campus, but it has been discontinued for years. Harass them. Also, most instructors won’t mind if you use an early edition of the required text, regarc less of the book store’s inability to sell them. Don’t be impatient like me! Plan ahead, put in a little time, and you just might have enor pocket money for luxuries like lunch! the Other Press is now hiring! Snap Happy? Think you have a good eye‘ The OP has a Photographer vacancy an¢ we want YOU to apply. Right now. Don’t make me get up and find you. Cuz I will. For more information email the lovely Trevor Hargreaves editor.otherpress@gmail.com ipfeatures@gmail.com