Using old edition textbooks in your online class?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by SurfDoctor, Jun 29, 2011.

Loading...
  1. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    I was listening to a financial guy giving advice on the radio who said that you should buy all your textbooks on eBay and buy older editions. According to him, you will pay around $12 for a $120 textbook and the fact that it's an older edition will not hurt you. He says that they really don't change that much when they publish a new edition of a textbook.

    Any opinions on that? I wonder how much they really do change textbooks in new editions. Do you think they do that just to pump up sales or are there substantive changes that occur? If it's just new graphics and a new cover, buying older editions might be the ticket.
     
  2. TCord1964

    TCord1964 New Member

    I have done that, and saved a ton. There really wasn't much of a difference in the editions. In fact, the page numbers from the old book matched exactly with what I was supposed to read in the newer textbook recommended by the school when it came time for my reading assignments. I also saved money by purchasing international editions of text books.
     
  3. graymatter

    graymatter Member

    It depends on the text, the ways in which the text is used in the course - and whether or not the text has utility after the course has completed.
     
  4. truckie270

    truckie270 New Member

    I will second the comment that it really depends on the subject. I teach emergency management and homeland security, so the books I use are continually being updated to reflect recent events. I think there was a wholesale change-out in EM texts about 6 months after Katrina. I suspect there will be some major revisions out shortly to cover aspects of the Japanese Tsunami and DeepWater Horizon spill, and other significant events. Also, with the number of changes in the federal gov. and policy changes regarding EM, books become obsolete quickly.

    I have used this approach as well as a student, but it can be risky if there are any substantial changes in the texts from one edition to the next. As faculty, I have students mess up terribly in my classes before because I assign review questions in several courses and they completed the wrong questions because the chapter numbers in the old book were different. My review question assignments list the chapter and questions to be answered with the assumption that the student is using the book edition as identified in the syllabus.

    You do not have to get older editions of texts to save substantial amounts of money by buying them online.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 29, 2011
  5. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    One of the prisoners I buy textbooks for says that it usually works for him to use inexpensive earlier editions. His argument is that even if, say, 20% of a text is different, and his exam scores suffer proportionately, there is still enough correct info to result in a passing grade -- especially in this particular prisoner's MBA program where a passing exam score is 50%.
     
  6. dlcurious

    dlcurious Member

    Another thing you can do is buy international editions of the same books off the secondary market. Usually they are soft cover but other than that the text matches up perfectly, at least in my experiences.
     
  7. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    I check mine out of the library and just keep renewing them until the end of the term. It was easier when I was in the same city as my school, but even with Northeastern I can check them out of the local public university library -- as a local resident I can buy borrowing privileges for $150 per year.
     
  8. major56

    major56 Active Member

    I likewise purchase International /Global edition (new) textbooks. So far, as long as I buy the same class required edition, the textbook content is the same. However on occasion, the international version text may have different case studies than the US version; not always, but occasionally. Moreover, by waiting say a week or so after a semester begins, many times textbook prices will further drop, be they US or international editions.

    Caveat: Stay away from India edition textbooks. They’re cheaply made (e.g., paper quality /black and white—no color) and typically don’t incorporate [all] the subject information (e.g., condensed version) found in either the US or standard international /global editions. Most vendors of legitimate international edition textbooks will disclose that the version they’re selling is NOT the India edition text.
     
  9. Messdiener

    Messdiener Active Member

    Can someone fill me in on these international editions of textbooks? I'm not familiar with them. Where would one go to get them? I don't recall seeing these during searches for texts on Amazon, which is where I normally get my expensive textbooks from.

    Are the international editions that much cheaper to warrant the risk of getting different material?
     
  10. eilla05

    eilla05 New Member

    I have always wondered about this as well but have been to scared to do it!!! I have always just bought used online and I normally save about 50% and then I resold them for about 75% of what I paid for them... worked quite well for my BA. For my Masters though I plan to keep all my books :)
     
  11. TCord1964

    TCord1964 New Member

    In my case, I purchased an international edition from Amazon UK. Even with shipping, the book was drastically cheaper than the US Edition.
     
  12. CalDog

    CalDog New Member

    Try abebooks.com for international editions, as well as for used textbooks and older editions.
     
  13. major56

    major56 Active Member

    EBay and Half.com (an EBay Co.) are additional options …
     
  14. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

    Oh yes, I love IE books! I once purchased a $270.00 book for $30.00!!!!!!!!! I really didn't like to use older edition books because they wouldn't match up with the school's lesson plans/assignments. Just make sure the buyer lists "Exact same as US edition".

    I also love Abebooks.com

    Abner :)
     
  15. Abner

    Abner Well-Known Member

    Yes. Make sure the buyer lists them as "Exact same as US edition". If that is not lised, do not buy from that seller.

    Here are some examples/links:

    9780073527079 - AbeBooks

    Introduction to Managerial Accounting (5TH International Edition): Brewer, Peter C.;Noreen, Eric;Garrison, Ray - AbeBooks - 9780073527079: DYNAMICSTEXT

    Abner
     
  16. major56

    major56 Active Member

    Abner is absolutely correct.

    And notice the vendor’s disclosure in Abner's provided link:

    “We do not sell low-cost Indian version book.”

    STAY FAR AWAY FROM ANY INDIA MARKET TEXTBOOKS; THEY'RE NOT THE SAME AS THE U.S. EDITION, AND ARE CHEAPLY MADE!

    Here's an EBay international textbook example:
    Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital .. | eBay
     
  17. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    I've often found myself recommending the DL courses offered by LSU because they're inexpensive and flexible. One of their Math courses actually requires you to have an old textbook. You can't take the course unless you can acquire a specific (old) edition. (btw, they're readily available through amazon).
     
  18. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    You know, that might be a good niche for a school who was operating as a low-cost option. They could design courses around textbooks that were recent, but not the latest edition. In most fields, I don't think there is much content difference (excepting subjects such as homeland security) between editions, especially in well-established subjects such as math and history.
     
  19. Hope2009

    Hope2009 New Member


    I have done this a few times in B&M courses and it has saved me a TON. I do agree that it depends on the class, though. For example, I made sure that the assignments in my programming book agreed with the assignments in the newer edition before doing homework.

    Another great source for textbooks is BetterWorldBooks.com. Prices are good, and I believe that they have free shipping. Check them out if you decide to try it.
     
  20. GeeBee

    GeeBee Member

    Math major here... I'd be afraid that I'd get a homework assignment that said something like "Do odd numbered questions 5 - 25 on page 172" and my earlier-edition text would not have the right questions.

    The local community college uses Stewart's "Calculus 6e with Early Transcendentals" for Calc I, II, and III. I took Calc I and II there.

    UIS uses Stewart's "Calculus 6e" (not Early Transcendentals). I looked at the online table of contents. The only chapters where the Early Transcendentals should make a difference are the ones covered in Calc I and II. By the time you get to Calc III, the material is the same.

    But I found a copy of 6e on eBay for $40, so I bought it (and then sold my Early Transcendentals version for $70 locally). It's a good thing, because while the chapter titles are the same, the sub-sections are in a different order. If I had tried to get by using my slightly-different textbook, I would have been very confused.
     

Share This Page