*caution: this is a nerdy post!*

Today, I have added a few addition to my collection of law textbooks.

…and trust me, it costs me a bundle!

Going to university doesn’t mean only the level of education is higher… other things are higher too, such as the prices of food and transportation… but one of the most obvious increase in price are the prices of textbooks. During primary or secondary school, a textbooks costs around RM20 to RM30. A university (law) textbook, however, can easily costs up to RM100 (which is considered cheap already), while a statute book costs RM50 to RM60-ish.

That is also the reason why many classmates of mine chooses alternative ways to solve the high price. One of the most common way out is to duplicate the knowledge… i.e: photocopy. Be it comb binding, stapler binding or perfect binding (where they colour-photocopy the cover onto hardcover paper to make it look 99.99% identical to the real book), they ensures that they got to read what’s in the textbook in the end of the day. Another not so convenient way is to borrow the book from the library… for the whole year. They will renew the textbooks every week, only to return it at the end of the semester.

As much as I hate pirated stuff, these classmates aren’t really to be blamed. It’s funnily pathetic that publishers marked a high price on their books and at the same time expects everybody to buy the original copies of it. They forgot that not all students (especially those who worked part time to support their studies) are bloody hell tinted, as not everyone is supported by their parents in terms of finance. Also, their books are only to be used for one semester or year (because publisher keep on publishing new editions, so the older editions will be outdated)… which logic mind would spending hundreds on something you’ll only use for a year? No wonder everybody go seek for alternative routes. I mean, if you want students to choose over price and intellectual property right, the answer would be embarrassedly obvious.

So… which do you support? The original or the alternatives?