Released: August 20, 2008

No break on cost of textbooks

Source: Ylan Q. Mui and Susan Kinzie, Washington Post (Free Registration)

The rising cost of college textbooks has driven Congress and nearly three dozen states—including Maryland and Virginia—to attempt to curtail prices and controversial publishing practices through legislation. But as the fall semester begins, students are unlikely to see much relief.

Estimates of how much students spend on textbooks range from $700 to $1,100 annually, and the market for new books is estimated at $3.6 billion this year. Between 1986 and 2004, the price of textbooks nearly tripled, rising an average of 6 percent a year while inflation rose 3 percent, according to a 2005 report by the Government Accountability Office. In California, the state auditor reported last week that prices have skyrocketed 30 percent in four years. 

Read Full Article: No break on cost of textbooks