One Way to Rein In Textbook Costs: Make Them Free

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...