There’s a question I’ve been asking myself for years and have never found or seen the answer.  Why do college books cost so much?

Having had a small book-seller business, I have sold new books and college books.  The cost of those books to the public is horrendous yet no one seems to question the high cost of those books.  Yet the wholesale cost isn’t nearly as high and in fact, only a fraction of what students and their parents are being charged.

Many college classes will be starting either this week or, in other parts of the country, have already started.  Over the Labor Day weekend I saw this post  in the NY Times discussing the high cost of a college education.  It still doesn’t specifically mention books, however. 

Tuition costs have gone in only one direction — up — during Mr. Weiss’s career. “I genuinely believe that we are at a crossroads here in higher education,” he said. “I think we have reached a ceiling that we’re beginning to bump into.”

In a recent report, Portland had a ranking of #9 for a mid-sized town and Corvallis ranked #7 as a small-town for being the best places to attend college.  Oregon has many fine colleges and universities and, as a parent, you might consider buying a home for those college kids to live in and use as a real estate investment while they are in attendance here. 

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