Education Textbook - The next good racket

[Shakespear]

I am amazed how this racket circles the world and the parents just take it. The disposable books are a racket worthy a Al Capone.

Don't try to offer something free in this field

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcamp...tbook-start-up

[thriftyandboringinohio]

Re: Education Textbook - The next good racket

It's an old racket.
The McGraw family, the Hill family, and the Macmillan family all built huge fortunes selling overpriced textbooks to our public schools.

35. *McGraw-Hill (40)
McGraw family
Publishing, advertising/New York
Founded: 1909
Revenues: $4.65 billion
Employees: 17,135
www.mcgraw-hill.com
Trade magazine publishers James H. McGraw Sr. and John Hill joined forces to create book company in 1909. McGraw and descendants built company into world’s largest textbook publisher, also an important business information provider (Standard & Poor’s, Business Week, etc.). Harold (Terry) McGraw III, 54, is the current CEO. McGraw family still owns 20% of stock.

[Shakespear]

Re: Education Textbook - The next good racket

I never payed attention to this one except when I was at the University and needed to go to the Book Store to get my text books. Ouch, it was a scramble hoping to get used ones !!! But observing the locals here in Poland and some local parents I see the US model has arrived here with a vengeance. Making matters worst is the fact that their monthly average salaries here are more of that in a 2-nd World vs. 1-st. Never-the-less they pay through the roof buying text books published by UK and other foreign publishers.

[leegs]

Re: Education Textbook - The next good racket

I totally agree about the 'racket', however upon my reading of the linked article, I am not so sympathetic to the so called 'open-source' books in this case.

[BK]

Re: Education Textbook - The next good racket

Friends of ours have children in a private Junior High- High School and they were just notified that all text books will be downloaded to an i-Pad in the the coming semesters. This is forcing families to buy i-Pads and eliminating the option of buying used text books at lower prices. Our friends are bracing for a huge up tick in the cost of buying text books every year for their children .