>> Textbooks generally do have to be updated every so often, though annual revisions are pretty ridiculous, and much of the industry is a fat scam, especially w

>> Textbooks generally do have to be updated every so often, though annual revisions are pretty ridiculous, and much of the industry is a fat scam, especially where the professor teaches from his own text. > Whether a professor teaches from his or her text is largely irrelevant. If a college professor writes and teaches from a book, he's requiring people to buy it. That often gives him royalties, which is a perverse incentive. I wouldn't call this a fat scam, but it's probably relevant to the idea that the textbook industry has some issues. It might be worth distinguishing between college and public schools, where the burden of cost is on either the student or the public.