MIT 6.002x Course Book - Where to buy for a reasonable price? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Mint.
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2012, 09:44:10 am
content: I recently started the MIT 6.002x Course. I want a hard copy of the book so I can read whenever I want to and not when I am on the computer. Where can I find one for a good price, new or used?

author: cybergibbons
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2012, 01:08:05 pm
content: Second hand is still expensive in the UK. A bit of a shame.

author: sacherjj
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2012, 01:42:04 pm
content: The only decent price I found is on ebay. $42 US shipped via 3 day DHL. It is from India and most likely like the Art of Electronics I purchased, which is only for sale in Asia. They must have lower priced rights for local sale, and some use ebay to get to other markets.Amazon is now showing a 1-2 month wait and near $100 US price. This seems like the only option to get it in a decent time frame.

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2012, 03:33:39 pm
content: Quote from: sacherjj on March 07, 2012, 01:42:04 pmIs that listing for a hardcover version?I ask, as it's presumable that it's an International version, which I've only seen as paperback. Definitely cheaper, but the OP mentioned they're after hardcover.

author: cybergibbons
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2012, 03:42:57 pm
content: Hard copy != hard cover, just a physical copy of the book.

author: sacherjj
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2012, 04:52:46 pm
content: The $100 prices I'm seeing are for soft cover. I haven't seen this in hard cover.

author: nanofrog
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2012, 06:24:22 pm
content: Quote from: cybergibbons on March 07, 2012, 03:42:57 pmI was just curious given the price tag, as those I've seen around the $100USD mark (some over) are hardback, while the paperbacks are much less (eBay and a couple of other places popped up during a search; the lowest one was a bit over $25USD, though I'm not sure about what shipping was; other vendors were closer to the $40USD mark).Prices may have spiked due to 6.200x attendees though.

author: Zad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2012, 10:23:49 pm
content: It will be a supply and demand thing. Not much supply, lots of demand. The entire book is available online, but I can't remember seeing any policy on printing it out. It would be particularly mean of them not to allow students to print out 1 copy for their own private use.

author: harnon
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2012, 10:33:50 pm
content: I did see one on Abebooks earlier today for around 30 GBP but they all seem to be gone. Amazon hard cover sold out but there are some paperback still for around 55 quid.Or, you could buy a second hand one - thats usually cheaper, right?

author: Zad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2012, 02:02:30 am
content: Chances are that none of those over-priced sellers actually have the book in stock. They rely on random people paying over the odds for a book, and then they buy it themselves and send it on. However, sometimes, none of the sellers actually has the book, and the price spirals up. When someone actually tries to buy it, they find it doesn't exist and it all collapses.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2012, 02:32:18 am
content: There's something a bit odd here: if they know ahead of time there is going to be a big demand for this book, why wouldn't they get lots of books printed and make lots of money?

author: sacherjj
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2012, 03:35:24 am
content: Quote from: IanB on March 08, 2012, 02:32:18 amAll of the relevant portions of the book are online, so the book isn't required. However, sometimes it is good to have something in hand.

author: Zad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2012, 05:16:24 am
content: In all the modules I took at uni, there were alternative sources too. That is to say not just the primary recommended book, but others that covered broadly the same areas of the subject, perhaps in a slightly different way. I found the different perspective invaluable in tackling some of the trickier subjects. In this instance the monoculture feels rather confining.In this instance, I suppose it is par for the course. There is no charge, and it is open to anyone, with no pre-testing and no controlled examination (I do rather wonder how they will do this part of it). It may be that the final package includes a printed copy of the book, covered by an overall fee.

author: Joshua
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2012, 05:16:58 am
content: Check biblio.com. I just ordered a 'used' electronics text book (electronic devices, Floyd 6th Ed.) for five dollars...shipped. The book is either brand new or incredibly lightly used. The cd that is included is still sealed in. Very happy with the experience. I was also able to pay through amazon so not sure if they ate the same or not?

author: Mint.
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2012, 07:00:43 am
content: Quote from: Joshua on March 08, 2012, 05:16:58 amI'll probably buy from Biblio. Not too keen on buying from unknown seller in India, but ohh well its only 30$ with Paypal so I don't have much to lose!

author: metalphreak
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2012, 08:25:24 am
content: http://booko.com.au/products/9781558607354I've ordered some uni books from singapore/malaysia (in many cases where the books are printed in the first place) and they've come within 2-3days via DHL.

author: Greg323i
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2012, 05:28:01 pm
content: I've ordered mine fromwww.abebooks.comfor about $20 shipped. It's coming from India, but I haven't received it yet. Apparently they had more than 10 copies when I ordered.

author: cybergibbons
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2012, 07:08:47 pm
content: AbeBooks is just a marketplace for book sellers. I've had good and bad experiences - picked up rare books for very little and they have turned up quickly, and tried saving a few quid on a common book to not have it turn up. They are quick to deal with complaints though and you get your money back.

author: Greg323i
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2012, 01:29:58 am
content: I've never had a bad experience with abebooks and I've been using them for 10 years, or thereabouts. Some of the sellers do not post as quickly as others, but that's to be expected.I only ordered the book last week, I didn't mean it to sound like a complaint. Rereading what I typed makes it sound that way, but I was just saying that abebooks is a cheap source for the book. I will say that I received that I was informed that the book is oversize and they wanted $6 more for shipping, which is reasonable. I just wish there was an automation of this so that I would know at checkout.