The College Textbook Racket - Intellectual Takeout

The College Textbook Racket - Intellectual Takeout - Shane Ralston

• But why do college textbook publishers charge so much? 

George Washington University political science professor Henry Farrell offers an explanation:

• “College textbook publishers charge vast and extortionate amounts for their textbooks for one simple reason. 
• They do it because they can. 

Students usually have to take a few required big courses for their major, and they have to buy the required textbooks for these courses...

Other professors are making a killing off of the textbook pricing racket. 

Harvard University Economics professor Gregory Mankiw wrote the introductory textbook Principles of Economics, which retails for $356 on Amazon, and rents for approximately $50 on Chegg. 

It is estimated that through all the editions, Mankiw could bank (or already has banked) an estimated $42 million in royalties from this textbook alone...