February 1, 2008

One Way to Rein In Textbook Costs: Make Them Free

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By PAUL F. DELESPINASSE

Back in 1981, I published a political-science textbook with Van Nostrand. Thinking About Politics: American Government in Associational Perspective was 517 pages long, and the hardbound edition sold for $20 in college bookstores. Adjusted for inflation to 2008 dollars, the price would be $45.39.

In the advanced courses I taught, I generally did not use textbooks but instead had students read a series of paperbacks. When I started

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