What are the textbooks in the US so massive and heavy?

I don't understand the purpose of making the textbook difficult to carry. Textbooks are so heavy and causing my shelve to distort. When I was in high school, I always had to carry 60lbs of books in my backpack. Why can't publishers use a different material to make books ? In China and India the textbooks are very light and easy to transport, so it can be done.

Higher Education (University +) - 11 Answers - 2009-06-21 17:12:49

Best answer:
I agree with you. Books have always been heavy. I remember carrying them around with me back and forth daily because of school work and studying for tests. My opinion: The books get heavier, thicker, and the print gets smaller the older we get. There are simple ways to explain ideas, and as we continue our education, the way those ideas are explained use more vocabulary words and long-winded explanations. When we get to college, we are usually buying the book the Professor wrote for the class. It has always made me wonder. MOST reading material in the military is written at the 6th grade level. With Kindle technology out, is this another option for carrying books? Today there are also electronic versions of books available online for use and reference in pdf. A better archive and library to access. You have the quick find keys, etc to assist.

All answer:
Answer 1
idk it pisses me off too. i had a sore back every single day. it was horrible and most of the material we never got to anyways
2009-06-21 17:48:15

Answer 2
I may be wrong about this, but I think some publishers are beginning to steer away from this. I've noticed many books are being republished as multiple books. For example, the calculus book I use as a TA used to be Calc 1,2,& 3 all in one, but now Calc 1 & 2 are one book and Calc 3 is a separate book. I guess the publishers finally realized they can actually make more money doing this, and coincidentally it takes a load off our backs in a literal sense.
2009-06-21 19:09:53

Answer 3
Yea tell me about it. Those books actually did some damage to my knee I reckon. You know what I started doing? I'd look for electronic versions of a title first and if it's available, I'll buy that instead of paper version. If there's only paper version, I'll rip it apart, just bring a couple of chapters at a time or feed everything into my scanner that has an automatic feeder and read off my laptop. I also started to look for books that are very thin, concise while still easy to read and informative at the same time. Such books are hard to find but I'd be so happy whenever I came across one.
2009-06-21 19:29:08

Answer 4
It pisses me off. Lmao
2009-06-21 19:35:51

Answer 5
they wanna make money, everything is about the mighty dollar. $$$$$$ is your answer, greedy people ruin the whole world
2009-06-21 21:54:32

Answer 6
lml i just left those books in school in my locker idc what teachers thought shiiiit it can couse bac problems
2009-06-22 05:42:44

Answer 7
my school has enough that you can have a ahome and class copy. it is still a pain to carry them. i think its because they want us to be so verry smart....in order to pass the state tests.
2009-06-22 05:45:55

Answer 8
I agree with you. Books have always been heavy. I remember carrying them around with me back and forth daily because of school work and studying for tests. My opinion: The books get heavier, thicker, and the print gets smaller the older we get. There are simple ways to explain ideas, and as we continue our education, the way those ideas are explained use more vocabulary words and long-winded explanations. When we get to college, we are usually buying the book the Professor wrote for the class. It has always made me wonder. MOST reading material in the military is written at the 6th grade level. With Kindle technology out, is this another option for carrying books? Today there are also electronic versions of books available online for use and reference in pdf. A better archive and library to access. You have the quick find keys, etc to assist.
2009-06-22 06:44:32

Answer 9
because they hold alot of information! in other countries, they maybe more poor and not recieve as good as an education. in my school, they give us textbooks to bring home, ad they have a second copy at school... that way there is no lugging!
2009-06-22 08:03:01

Answer 10
Maybe the material they use is more expensive and they can make a profit. Yeah, it's pretty annoying.
2009-06-22 19:03:46

Answer 11
I think using different types of paper is a great idea, but as far as I know the lighter papers is low in quality. They have to think about using kind of thick ( that are heavier ) paper in order to published textbook with lots of illustrators and sometimes color texts. Privately, I like US textbooks because compare with textbook in my home conutries which usually made from light paper ( but no colors ! ) they are more attract my interest to open and start reading it without getting bored. Plus it can be my accuse not taking it back to home to study.. Justkiding XD
2009-06-23 04:32:02

Source: What are the textbooks in the US so massive and heavy?

	‘Búp bê’ Ngọc Trinh khoe đường cong		Đón đọc truyện người lớn miễn phí xem8.net Lần Đầu
	Bộ Truyen Sex của hoa hậu bán dâm Mỹ Xuân		[ Loạn luân ] Con dâu dâm loạn, làm tình với cả bố chồng
	Cặp vú gái mới lớn đẹp nhất 2011		Trời ơi em thư ký thế này thì bố ai mà chịu được
	Đàm Thu Trang khoe đường cong với bikini len		Chuẩn Bị Đi Ngủ Với Em Nào Các Anh Đẹp Trai Ơi!
	Triển lãm ảnh đồng tính lần đầu tiên tại Việt Nam		Maria Ozawa, cái giá phải trả cho một diễn viên phim cấp 3