Book Season
Because my new classes start in a couple of weeks, it is time for the arduous task of searching high and low for the best prices on textbooks.
Fortunately, the books for one class are only recommendations, since many students may already have something that is equivalent. This is good, but if that were the only thing I had to report, this post would certainly not be as interesting as it could be. No, it seems there’s a bit more I can add to this. You see, the second class I am taking has two required texts, whose used prices total about $100, at least if I bought them both from the university bookstore. Since I am an unrepentant penny-pincher, I almost never buy anything from the university bookstore. Now, what makes these particular texts so interesting are their availability. Let me show you what I mean.
First up is this:
MILLER
DATA & TEXT MINING
(If you’re wondering, this is all the information that is provided by the online bookstore. I have to get the syllabus to get any more information).
And next is this:
MARAKAS
MODERN DATA WAREHOUSING, MINING & VISUALIZATION
At first glance, this does seem to be enough information to locate the book on Amazon.com, so I give it a try. The first book search nets this most promising result. Score? Maybe. But notice two things. First, it’s only been reviewed once, and that was for only one star. Second, its list price is actually MORE than the used price listed at the bookstore. Hardly a bargain, considering I would have to wait for it to be shipped. Oh, there are used copies of it floating around in the marketplace, and I would likely try one of those before paying WAY TOO MUCH for a PAPERBACK.
The second book has some confusing results. My search included the author’s last name, and some words from the book’s title, and what do I get? I get this. Excuse me? The book is out of print, you say? There is, at the time of this writing, one offer on the table for the bargain price of $122. Something is wrong with this. The NEW book from the university bookstore costs only $70. Obviously I have the wrong book. Fortunately I can click the author’s name, and it takes me to another list of books, but really the same result. This book apparently does not exist. In a last ditch effort, I Google it, and to my everlasting surprise, the first result takes me BACK TO AMAZON. Where was this book when I searched the first time? Of course, the list price is still higher than the price I can get for a new one at the uni bookstore. Further compounding this issue is this little availability blurb: “Availability: Usually ships within 2 to 4 weeks. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.” 2-4 weeks to process BEFORE it even ships? I will most certainly be in class before that window elapses, so thanks but no thanks. In this case, the Amazon marketplace price is not much different than the university bookstore price for a used book, so I am a bit perplexed. Normally I am able to come out having saved a boatload of money on books, but I don’t think I will be able to escape this one quite so easily. I am waiting, however, for confirmation of the book list. I haven’t seen the syllabus, and so it’s possible the additional information on the syllabus will be enough to help me secure the right books at the best price.
