international edition textbooks

[asiancivicmaniac]

So it's that time of the year again. Have to buy text books for my class at outrageous prices.

I came across an international paperback edition of a textbook that I need for 1/3 of the US hardcover edition price.Is there any reason not to get it? Anybody have bad experiences with missing material from an international version vs an US version?

I don't care about reselling it since it's a lot cheaper than the hardcover and I'd probably lose that much in depreciation selling the hardcover in the future anyways. It's also the newest edition of the text book (published 2008) so not many used copies around.

 

[pickled]

I always used to buy the previous editions. Not much changes from edition to edition. The only thing I found with international editions is that some of the exercises were changed to comply with local flare. Now that everything comes bundled with a CD-rom or online exercise they kind of have you over a barrel.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

Luckily this one doesn't have a cd even for the US version. Also, in the past I've found that the CD's that come with the text book were never used.

 

[Chuck1986]

I've never had problems with international edition textbooks. Page-for-page - for the ones I've had - they're literally the same exact thing. In some cases, the pictures/illustrations may not be in color. Also, the cover illustrations are usually different. But that's about it.

I've gotten international editions textbooks for organic chemistry, physics and immunology...they've easily saved me over $100

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

oops I just realized I missed two letters from 'international' in the title.

 

[CivicFan]

In finance books, the international versions change the currency in question and the examples might be different. But the overall outcome is not different than the US versions.

I would not hesitate to buy the international version of a textbook if it existed.

 

[greenaccord02]

Originally Posted By: asiancivicmaniac
oops I just realized I missed two letters from 'international' in the title.


See, this is why you shouldn't use the international edition english textbooks!

To save money, I'd usually go for an older edition before an international edition depending on subject.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

Professor specifically indicated the need for the newest one. I think I'm getting the international edition.

 

[greenaccord02]

There's a place that lets you rent textbooks. A coworker went back to school a few months ago and was talking about it. Have you looked into such a service?

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

I wasn't aware there is such a thing.

 

[pickled]

Did he/she write the book and is he/she skimming royalties? I had a few classes with the guy that wrote the book...uggh!

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

Nope. Written by some guy that isn't even a faculty at my school.

 

[Loobed]

International versions usually have metric problems instead of US measurements. Chemistry and Physics are all in metric anyways. The math books are the only ones I have seen that are different. The colleges around here have the text books on reserve at the library. You can check them out and photo-copy the problems. The rest of the text in the chapter is irrelevant. Many people use older editions of the books.

 

[greenaccord02]

Originally Posted By: asiancivicmaniac
I wasn't aware there is such a thing.


I'll ask the guy tomorrow at work. It's a strange named website that I can't remember right now.

 

[Loobed]

Originally Posted By: greenaccord02
Originally Posted By: asiancivicmaniac
I wasn't aware there is such a thing.


I'll ask the guy tomorrow at work. It's a strange named website that I can't remember right now.



http://www.chegg.com/ ???

Or just do a search for "textbook rentals"

 

[tom slick]

I've only seen one issue with an international version. It's chapters were arranged differently and the professor had specific page callouts in his labwork. It was more hassle than it was worth.

Slightly related note:
I've started selling books on amazon and it's worth it. With people willing to buy previous edition books I can sell books that were destined for the trash because the bookstore wouldn't buy them back.

 

[pickled]

Great point Tom...I'll have to dust off my once obsolete door stops and turn them into positive cashflow.

 

[greenaccord02]

Originally Posted By: Loobed
Originally Posted By: greenaccord02
Originally Posted By: asiancivicmaniac
I wasn't aware there is such a thing.


I'll ask the guy tomorrow at work. It's a strange named website that I can't remember right now.



http://www.chegg.com/ ???

Or just do a search for "textbook rentals"


That's it - Chegg!

 

[crinkles]

check it's all in the same units (e.g. SI vs imperial). international editions may be for SI while US versions for imperial. that's if it is anything to do with your field (e.g. engineering this would be an issue)

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

Haha, I'm not smart enough to be an engineer or scientist so units of measurement won't be an issue. It's a social psychology text book. I ordered it last night.