Textbooks are an integral part of any college or university curriculum, but are you familiar with the different textbook versions? Many believe there is only different "editions" of a textbook. Actually, that’s not true. Let’s have a look at some of the more common textbook "versions" you may come across.

 

• United States and Canada Textbook Versions – This version of the textbook is authorized for resale within these two countries. These are available both as new textbooks and used textbooks.

 

• International Textbook Versions – This textbook has been published outside of the United States and Canada. These are generally considerably cheaper than the US/Canada textbooks. That’s because the International Publishers are not authorized to distribute or sell these versions within the US or Canada, and doing so violates trademarks and copyrights. Of course that doesn’t mean they aren’t available. They can be found outside of the US and Canada as well as within.

 

 

• Teacher Textbook Versions – The teacher textbook versions have additional features such as notes, questions, answers and teacher’s guides, to name just a few extras. You can quickly see how this could be beneficial from a student’s perspective. The additional resources could be invaluable throughout your course. These are also available online both as new textbooks and used textbooks, although the new are more common.

 

• Previous Editions/Versions – When it comes to textbooks one of the most frustrating things is the rate at which new editions/versions of the textbook come to market, only to find your professor asking for the latest. Before you spend the extra for the most current version, you should compare the changes. Sometimes it’s little more than a few paragraphs or a set of questions. Other times it can be drastic. Sometimes things have been moved around in the textbook but it’s all still there. Buying a previous edition/version of a textbook is an excellent way to save a great deal of money.

 

However, it does depend on the changes and the course you are taking. For example, using an older version of biochemistry textbook might not be wise since things are continuously changing in this field and you could be missing out on something important. Then again accounting seldom changes and so the need for the latest version of a textbook is likely minimal.

 

It would be so much simpler if there was only one version of any given textbook, but that’s not the case. Now that you have a better understanding of the different textbook versions and what they represent you can use this knowledge when you are in the market to buy textbooks.