The end of the semester is approaching, and book buy-back timeis closer than ever.
Textbooks cost about the same as a small pile of platinum-platedbricks. Similarly, although you and I complete our assignedreadings in a timely and responsible fashion, many students'textbooks also function like platinum-plated bricks: They sit oncoffee tables as conversation pieces. ("Ah, I see you have a finecopy of 'The Rise and Fall of World Economics Since the VeryBeginning of Time: 6th Edition.'")
To illustrate this lack of logic, imagine that you go to arestaurant where the least-expensive food item costs $58 at theused price. Imagine that you cannot just go to McDonald's becausethen you will fail Sociology 100.
You order several food items, and when your plate arrives,heaping with the things that will benefit you most, you becomedistracted for four months by a grueling game of "Final FantasyXVIII." You decide to return your food to the kitchen and seekreimbursement.
Because of lack of demand at this point, you are only refundedless than half the price you originally paid. Also, some food itemshave a new edition coming out in the spring, so you will not getyour money back for them and are therefore stuck with them for alleternity. You realize that not only have you wasted a good chunk ofchange, but you are also still hungry.
Color me hypocritical, but I admit that I sometimes do notpurchase all of my required textbooks. This is because of anincident that I encountered in the spring of 2002 when I took ajournalism design course. We were to purchase a book that waspublished in the late '80s that stated, "Someday you may befortunate enough to use a laser printer."
I generally do not ask questions about the textbooks thatinstructors select for courses they are teaching. The reason I amtaking classes in the first place is because professors know morethan I do. Unless "The History and Wonderful World of Fishing LureProduction" appears on the list of required texts for Math 125, Isilently and obediently purchase the doggone books. I do demand,however, that they be published after the Reaganadministration.
Fortunately, I somehow sold "Laser Printing and Other UnlikelyFuture Technology" back to the bookstore, but I had spent roughly$60 on it, and I received only $20 back. In this case, theimaginary restaurant server had presented me with food so old thatit was unfit for human consumption. It was as if I had purchasedthe book and never read it; I was lacking in knowledge and wasroyally ripped off.
Buying a textbook for class is the only way that you will getall the class has to offer, but if you don't plan to take advantageof the information in the books, it is probably best to avoidbuying the books altogether.
Better to be thought a fool than to buy books you will neverread and remove all doubt.
Write to Aleshia at aahaselden@bsu.edu
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