I just spent $100 on a math textbook. It's beautiful, really. Shiny, new and tautly wrapped in glossy plastic covering -- the un-returnable kind.

It even came with plenty of supplementary materials to keep me busy too.

I now own a workbook and an online subscription to a math tutoring center, in case I get extra-ambitious.

After plotting, scheming and trying to work a way around paying for the massive book of doom, I unwillingly forked over my hard-earned cash.

I watched $100 disappear from my checking account.

Just wait, this sob story gets better.

I find upon attending this math class that it would only cover three chapters for the whole semester. I would only be needing chapters six, seven and eight.

That's $100 for only three chapters of mathematical misery - $33.33 repeating per un-returnable chapter!

I can lay aside my bitterness toward spending so much on a class that's not even related to my majors.

But what I can't ignore is the outrageous climb college textbook prices are taking. And they're draining students' or their parents' bank accounts along the way.

The average student spends about $900 a year on textbooks, according to a study from the University of California in 2003, and that price has been steadily rising.

Half of all these books come in packs, shrink-wrapped and rarely with the option of buying them separately - my personal downfall in this instance.

And the sad reality is that I'm far from the only one paying exorbitant fees. No matter what class I take, the book lists are all going to be comparably expensive.

So what gives here?

Why does this have to be so unnecessarily pricy?

Book publishers hold most of the blame in this situation.

New editions, like the shiny one I just picked up, are produced every year with small changes like re-numbered pages to keep the buyers thinking it's really new and force the cheaper, used textbooks off the shelves.

Books also come bundled in packs with useless extra stuff, like CDs and workbooks, which I've found the professors almost never use.

The clear solution here is for book publishers to stop being so greedy.

But, as that seems unlikely, it's up to the university to help out.

Many states are developing legislation to make textbooks more affordable.

For example, in Washington, a law requires that four-year public colleges and universities implement rules that give students the opportunity to buy textbooks un-packaged.

Universities also have to let professors know about the price difference between new and used editions.

This helps to let professors make an educated decision about how much they require their students to spend on a class.

In July 2005, a bill with similar bullet points was introduced in Pennsylvania.

It has since been given little attention. And until formal legislation goes into effect, what it comes down to is the personal responsibility of the professor.

Hand-made course packets, like one I just bought for a communications class, make use of only the specific pages and information the students need.

Online course work, personal research, photocopies and handouts also help to relieve the stress on a few select expensive books.

There are better and cheaper ways to get an education here.

Although my crisp, currently un-dented math book is pretty to look at, there are many things I would have rather spent my money on.