[–] NiklausTheNaked ago
There are not very many people who will take the time to scan and uploaded a textbook. Uploading a movie just takes a few minutes.
[–] cooledcannon 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Most classes books are highly unnecessary...
[–] wickedsteve ago
That has not been my experience at all. I don't have any problem finding books.
Millions of people want to watch Paul Blart 2 but only a few hundred want to read Advanced Thermodynamics, Professor McDouche, 39th Edition (USA version).
[–] TinyTinaTrumpsAll ago
I think it's just because there's less demand for textbooks than there is for movies, games, music, etc. I agree, they charge ridiculous amounts for textbooks, and I never bought one through my college years.
I found it was a lot easier to find the previous edition of a text book, instead of the most current. I found ebooks for all my classes that way, and was able to pass my courses just fine. Usually they only change around format or edit a few sentences between editions, so page numbers may be different but most of the content was the same.
Like others have said, use your library first. See if your library has the book, an account with a large ebook site, or if they can borrow the book for you from another library. Scan the chapters that your class summary says you'll go over. If that fails, use TPB, KAT, or other torrent sites. It can take awhile to find one, but you should be able to eventually.
Also, check goodwill and other thrift stores in your area. A lot of kids donate their old textbooks at the end of the semester.
[–] CanIHazPhD ago
I had this same feeling, but encompassing textbooks, technical books and papers.
I actually started planning to program a torrent-like client for distribution of such files, but couldn't actually do it and eventually I gave up :(
[–] CanIHazPhD ago
Sadly I realized the project was beyond my ability, I'm not a programmer, it's just a hobby. But I'm thinking about recruiting a friend or strangers from the internet, I'm just postponing it to a time I'm not swamped in other work.
[–] FPHrefugee ago
I would love to just find a place where I could download books to read. I swear there needs to be an online library, giving you access for a certain amount of time then you don't have it anymore, it'd be awesome