A Textbook Example
Here is an example of a typically bloated, overpriced science textbook. It illustrates some of the problems alluded to in my previous post on college textbook prices.
Biology, 7th ed., by Neil A. Campbell, Jane B. Reece, and 7 others.
It weighs over seven pounds. A real back breaker.
The campus bookstore sells only a shink-wrapped package containing not only the required book, but also a CD and a biological dictionary, neither of which is required or even mentioned by the instructor. The price of the shink wrapped package at the bookstore is $153.05. The textbook plus CD sells for $128.40 (plus shipping) at Amazon.com. This is the hardcover (American) edition. The "international" edition (same content with soft cover) can be had for $72.80 (plus shipping) at Yello Textbook in Seattle. The publishers don't want students to know about these "international" editions. AFAIK it is impossible to buy just the book without the goddamn CD. I have never heard an instructor even mention the CDs that are bundled with textbooks. Some publishers have the gall to claim that they supply CDs because instructors want them. Sure. Somewhere, there probably is an instructor who likes the CDs (or was paid to say he likes them).
I will comment separately on the 40 pages of front matter, the 1231 pages of main text, and the back matter (appendices, credits, glossary, and index).
Front Matter
Besides the endpaper, there is an extra heavy duty cardboard insert titled "your steps to success" which invites clueless students to "register" with the publisher. After the title page and description of authors is a "Preface" which reads like an advertisement for the text, including lots of crap about how extensively the current edition has been "restructured" to bring "key concepts into sharpter focus". That's to cool out the mark. Ten pages wasted so far. There follow six pages of acknowledgments, including completely unnecessary acknowledgments of reviewers of previous editions. Next, there are advertisements for "supplements" for the student and the teacher. Then a useless list of "featured figures". Then useless summaries of what is "new to the seventh edition" and of the "interviews" (described below). Finally there are two (!) tables of contents. That's forty bloated pages so far.
Main Text
The useless page 1 is blank except for the single word "biology". The rest of chapter 1 contains nothing of value that won't be covered in greater detail in later chapters. Thus pages 2 through 29 are completely wasted.
The remaining chapters are grouped into eight "units", each of which contains a pointless interview with a distinguished scientist to waste a couple more pages. There are 55 chapters. The chapters are all alike in format. The same techniques are used in every chapter to waste as much space as possible.
Chapter 2 will do as an example. It starts with an unnecessary list of four "key concepts" to be presented. Then there is an unnecessary "overview". The bulk of Chapter 2 consists of subsections labelled "Concept 2.1", "Concept 2.2", etc. Each subsection contains numerous figures, including photographs and drawings, which are well done and quite useful. But each subsection also contains a "Concept Check", which is a list of questions, ostensibly for the student to ponder, but really just a way of taking up space. At the end of the chapter are two useless pages filled with a "review" (yet more summarizing), a "self-quiz", and other drivel labelled "testing your knowledge".
I will refrain from making similar comments about the other 53 chapters. To paraphrase Ronald Reagan: if you've seen one chapter, you've seen them all (as far as the format is concerned).
Appendices
Appendix A consists of answers to the stupid "concept checks" and "self-quizes" and fills 24 pages.
Appendices B,C, and D are useful and brief. They describe the metric system, microscopy, and taxonomy, respectively.
Credits
These are necessary; at least they are in small print.
Glossary and Index
These are extensive and useful.
Thus endeth the textbook example. It's really not a bad book, but it could be thinner, lighter, and less expensive, with no real loss in content. And there is no need for such frequent new editions.
Biology, 7th ed., by Neil A. Campbell, Jane B. Reece, and 7 others.
It weighs over seven pounds. A real back breaker.
The campus bookstore sells only a shink-wrapped package containing not only the required book, but also a CD and a biological dictionary, neither of which is required or even mentioned by the instructor. The price of the shink wrapped package at the bookstore is $153.05. The textbook plus CD sells for $128.40 (plus shipping) at Amazon.com. This is the hardcover (American) edition. The "international" edition (same content with soft cover) can be had for $72.80 (plus shipping) at Yello Textbook in Seattle. The publishers don't want students to know about these "international" editions. AFAIK it is impossible to buy just the book without the goddamn CD. I have never heard an instructor even mention the CDs that are bundled with textbooks. Some publishers have the gall to claim that they supply CDs because instructors want them. Sure. Somewhere, there probably is an instructor who likes the CDs (or was paid to say he likes them).
I will comment separately on the 40 pages of front matter, the 1231 pages of main text, and the back matter (appendices, credits, glossary, and index).
Front Matter
Besides the endpaper, there is an extra heavy duty cardboard insert titled "your steps to success" which invites clueless students to "register" with the publisher. After the title page and description of authors is a "Preface" which reads like an advertisement for the text, including lots of crap about how extensively the current edition has been "restructured" to bring "key concepts into sharpter focus". That's to cool out the mark. Ten pages wasted so far. There follow six pages of acknowledgments, including completely unnecessary acknowledgments of reviewers of previous editions. Next, there are advertisements for "supplements" for the student and the teacher. Then a useless list of "featured figures". Then useless summaries of what is "new to the seventh edition" and of the "interviews" (described below). Finally there are two (!) tables of contents. That's forty bloated pages so far.
Main Text
The useless page 1 is blank except for the single word "biology". The rest of chapter 1 contains nothing of value that won't be covered in greater detail in later chapters. Thus pages 2 through 29 are completely wasted.
The remaining chapters are grouped into eight "units", each of which contains a pointless interview with a distinguished scientist to waste a couple more pages. There are 55 chapters. The chapters are all alike in format. The same techniques are used in every chapter to waste as much space as possible.
Chapter 2 will do as an example. It starts with an unnecessary list of four "key concepts" to be presented. Then there is an unnecessary "overview". The bulk of Chapter 2 consists of subsections labelled "Concept 2.1", "Concept 2.2", etc. Each subsection contains numerous figures, including photographs and drawings, which are well done and quite useful. But each subsection also contains a "Concept Check", which is a list of questions, ostensibly for the student to ponder, but really just a way of taking up space. At the end of the chapter are two useless pages filled with a "review" (yet more summarizing), a "self-quiz", and other drivel labelled "testing your knowledge".
I will refrain from making similar comments about the other 53 chapters. To paraphrase Ronald Reagan: if you've seen one chapter, you've seen them all (as far as the format is concerned).
Appendices
Appendix A consists of answers to the stupid "concept checks" and "self-quizes" and fills 24 pages.
Appendices B,C, and D are useful and brief. They describe the metric system, microscopy, and taxonomy, respectively.
Credits
These are necessary; at least they are in small print.
Glossary and Index
These are extensive and useful.
Thus endeth the textbook example. It's really not a bad book, but it could be thinner, lighter, and less expensive, with no real loss in content. And there is no need for such frequent new editions.
posted by Doctor Ben at 9:56 PM
2 Comments:
By an open source project, do you mean something that would compete with commercial publishers the way Linux competes with Microsoft?
I noticed you commented on my blog (I had to set it up for a grad class I'm taking and appreciate your comments. Thanks!) and I see you seem to agree with me about the carrying around textbooks. For another class this semester my new 2007 edition text book comes with a CD inside a reader, which we actually use. I suppose this is because my professor actually wrote the book. As I read what you wrote about the front and back matter, I realize that writers (or maybe it's the publishers) don't care about their reader. They don't take into account the fact that someone has to buy this book and lug it from home to one side of campus where your car is to the other side where your classroom is. They want to make money. Right? That's what everything is about. The American Dream. Yeah.
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