A Pain in the Pocketbook

As the cash register beeps away, a nervous student stands clenching his checkbook, hoping he’ll have enough money to purchase a semester’s worth of textbooks. Finally, the cashier pushes the final button and the verdict appears on the register.

“That will be $134.50,” the clerk says.

Grumbling to himself, the student fills out his check and leaves the bookstore - mourning the new low in his checking account. This scene is repeated thousands of times each semester as students flock to the bookstore to purchase required textbooks.

According to Peg Goodwin, textbook manager, the average student spends roughly $100 to $150 per semester on textbooks, with the average hardbound edition selling for about $22.

This nostalgic look at textbook costs in the early 1980s is brought to you by the 1983 Gem of the Mountains Digital Yearbook.