While I do not disagree with Kevin Bryan’s general premise that textbooks are expensive (“Universities can lower textbook costs,” Jan. 20, p. 4), I am not able to follow his argument. The problem with universities paying a “fixed cost” for a book and then releasing it into the public domain is that technically only the universities that paid should be allowed to use the book. Getting every single university in the world to pitch in would be problematic, especially since schools like Boston University and Fisher College have significantly different demands for introductory biology textbooks. Also, if I wanted to obtain the book but was not affiliated with a major university, would I still be allowed to get it for free?
I agree with Mr. Bryan that government regulation is not useful in this case. However, it seems that the “blame” for high textbook prices does not belong to any one group. We are a capitalist society where authors, publishers and Barnes ‘ Noble are free to charge whichever prices they believe will be most profitable. I would suggest, then, that those three parties could negotiate with students and universities to implement policies that are generally both fair and profitable.
To paraphrase something I once learned in an economics class: “It’s not a rip-off as long as you are still willing to pay for it.”
Michael Kheyfets CAS ’07