9/5/2005 - Textbook Trials

How in the world can someone sleep at night charging 125 dollars for a text book? Honestly that’s just ridiculous. I got a book advance for 350 dollars, and all but twenty dollars of that had to be used for books. It didn’t help that two of my classes required five books apiece.

But honestly, 125 dollars? For a book no one wants to buy? Isn’t there a law against that sort of thing? I could see charging a lot for a popular book, but for a lexicon? A fancy dictionary costs me that much?

Lets compare. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince came out recently. It’s comparable in size to my “Greek-English Analytical Lexicon.” Lets compare. Harry Potter came out at $29.99, but at most stores you could buy it for $20-$25. It’s been out for like two months. My Lexicon has been out for four years, and started at $125 dollars. It is still at $125 dollars. The lexicon was put together by a team (I think, I’m not really bothering to check my sources), so it should be cheaper. Now, by what I remember of supply and demand, if no one buys something, the price should go down so more people will buy it. (Once again I’m spitballing, sources are a pain in the arse). And if a lot of people buy something, the price should go up. Why don’t these laws of economics or biology or whatever apply?

The only people who buy Greek Lexicons are year two Greek students. Of which there are four in the entire world. (Articles are so much easier to write without checking sources (and I just love using parentheses)). So why hasn’t the price go down? Obviously it’s a conspiracy. And I know who’s at the top. The top three chancellors of this conspiracy? The Queen of England, Simon from American Idol, and Chuck Norris.

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