International edition textbooks on Biblio are easily identifiable by this image
An international edition textbook is a version of a textbook that has been produced for distribution outside of the U.S.
Common Features:
- Typically the ISBN of an international edition is not the same as the ISBN of a US edition.
- The cover image is also usually different
- International editions are usually soft cover.
- International editions may have black and white illustrations
- International editions may not include CD ROMs or other supplementary materials that may have been included with the U.S. edition textbook.
- International edition textbooks will often be published with cover information indicating that they are intended for foreign markets.
The publishers of international editions typically do not authorize the sale and distribution of these editions in United States and Canada. Distribution or sale of these items in United States and Canada may violate the trademarks or copyrights of the publishers of these items.
26 Comments
I agreed that the textbook prices are skyrocketing and some of my textbooks cost over $230!
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Okay cbdqq totally sounded like an advertisement post, but checked out dealoz. it was pretty cool. my only gripe with international edition that it is being sent from Thailand through DHL (buying from an ebay buyer) and i am unsure of when they’ll get here.
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Thanks!
Here is an update. I bought two books that both shipped from the other side of the world. Both came in like 2-3 business days.
This is to calm the nerves of those buying international edition.
Word of warning. As mentioned, some parts of the book may be changed, some not. My EE book was exactly the same as the regular state-side version. My CPE version was also the same, BUT the chapter problems were in different numbers which sucks because my professor assigns homework by telling us the numbers.
Would I buy international edition again? Yes. In fact, I am planning to buy my math textbook since homework is not necessary so I doubt I will run into said problem. I’ve already saved over $200 with the two textbooks I bought.
But how is the paper quality? Will they fall apart after two weeks?
Very much worth the money to buy international. They are high-quality, usually published bu the same company that makes the US version. US versions are expensive because they know we’ll pay, not becasue it actually costs that much to make.
I bought an international edition of my $180 anatomy book for last semester. Exact same book as classmates hardcover, paid $60 delivered from ebay. Looking to get a microbiology book now $197 new, $146 used, $96 to rent it and I can find it online for $60-70.
I have purchased several International Editions and have never had any problem with the book itself. Make sure the book has high quality paper and color print and you should be set. I started doing this as a freshman to save money. Usually the campus library will have a copy of the book on reserve…just get the cheaper IE book and spend a little time flipping through them together to verify that all the information, questions, and end of chapter tests are the same. I have at least 15 of these books on my shelf and I have never ran across an inconsistency between the US and IE ones. But I am sure that they exist in some editions.
Sometimes a professor would give me a nasty look when I used a IE book, but who cares. I have my Ph.D in molecular genetics and and we all know how much a chem book or a micro book can cost. If not for these IE books I would have starved to death during my post doc because I sure couldnt have afforded food!
Word of advice….I have heard bad things about buying these books from sellers in other countries because they have a slow shipping system. I purchased mine from sellers who were in the US.
I have purchased a variety of international edition books from countries outside of the US and have been satisfied with what I have recieved as I do get the information I need with those books. However, I can’t say that every book that is sold international edition is sold always with the same exact information as the US edition.
I’m taking Mechanical Engineering as my college major and the units in some of the books of which I purchase need to be in American measuring units. I did end up purchasing an international edition book with SI units without knowing, causing me to send it back to the seller and buy the American version. When buying these international edition books, make sure that there is no problem in having different units and make sure that your getting the right book because it costs quite a bit to ship a book back.
I have purchased many of these international edition books from outer countries and am very satisfied with the resemblance to the American versions. However, I can’t say that the content in all international edition books are the same as all of the American.
I’m attending college majoring in Mechanical Engineering. I recently purchased an international edition book of which, little to my knowledge, was in SI units. Unfortunately, I didn’t find this out until it finally arrived at my home. I needed a book that used American units for that specific class. So in the end, I had to return the book to the seller, which was costly, and then purchase the more expensive American version.
When purchasing the international edition books, make sure that your getting the things you really need because little things like units may cause you to have to return the book and waste more time. Just ask the seller some questions.
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I’ve bought the international editions of my Calculus and Chemistry books. They are basically the SAME content except the soft cover, ISBN, blah, blah… However! Even though the lessons are the same exact word to word, the problems at the end of each chapter are occasionally in DIFFERENT ORDERS . For example, #1 in U.S. edition is #2 in IE, etc. But to me that’s pale in comparison to the money I saved! So am I doing it again? Heck yeah! And I STRONGLY recommend others the same.
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Just to share my experience about buying international edition textbooks… Buying is ok, we all know they are a cheaper option and why but just have in mind that re-selling (buyback) is difficult and at of course at a lower value. So when you compare buying and then selling international editions vs US editions do have in mind their re-sale value. It might turn out that after re-selling you’ve spent the same amount…
Need advice on international editions for psychology courses in the usa. Do IE books have the same content, author(s), page count, paper quality(thin or equal 2 usa), and quality all around the books as the U.S. versions? What do professors and students think about these textbooks: Good or Poor?
One quick question… My uni has given me a list of text book titles, Authors and ISBN numbers… If I search by ISBN number, is there a possibility that another version (ie imperial not metric) will have the same ISBN number?
How do IE social work text books measure up to the US ones?