http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... d=13831816
I recall reading that there was supposed to be a Senate committee looking into textbook costs, but perhaps that got shelved considering this progression into (perhaps overly) specialized books. All I know is that as textbooks get more and more expensive, more and more students go global and acquire textbooks printed for regions other than the US, buy textbooks straight from other students off of a variety of websites, and copy material digitally in some cases so as to have the required readings on hand at a discount.
With these new changes in the textbook market one can only wonder when all textbooks will become customized in such a manner that it will be useless for the next year, or even for the next term. Where does this leave the typically broke-as-hell college student? It's frustrating to think about.