The textbook for my engineering analysis class was a brown envelope with nothing but a lottery ticket style scratch off license key inside. The key grants you access to the publisher's website. No refunds and no buy back when the class is over. The price was still over $100. It's the most disgusting thing I've come across since returning to school. I'm required to have a license from this publisher in order to turn in my work. This is at a fairly old public university too, not some online degree business where i might expect to take up the rear. In contrast, my chemistry text, bundled with a ton of other material, was $4. It was written by the department open course ware style and is far better than the former mentioned math text. These publishers really need to go to hell, and more universities need to get their shit together and provide their own materials.
