Where to buy textbooks?

[Porridge]

Hello, forgive the naivete of the question, but what is the best way to buy math textbooks? I'm thinking of Dolciani or Forester or Jacobs Algebra. Looking on Amazon, there are different editions, and I don't feel confident I can piece together the right edition with the right answer key, etc. Do you purchase directly from the publisher? Could anyone tell me which books (text, teacher guide?, answer key? other?) I would need if we did Jacobs, or Dolciani, or Forester?

We've only done Beast and Singapore (and a tiny bit of Right Start and MM) up til now, so the world of major textbook publishers is new to me. Thank you in advance!

[cintinative]

Dolciani is unfortunately out of print.  You can buy used copies, but as you have noted, you need to know the ISBNs.  It is helpful to know what "decade" you are looking for. Mine are from the 90s. Some people prefer the ones from earlier (the 70s) but those are harder to find.  

It looks like Christianbook (and probably Rainbow Resource) sell the 2020 copy of Jacob's Algebra, but I would ask around here what edition is best.  Same with the Foerster's--Rainbow sells that, although I don't see the TE.

If you want, I can get you the ISBNs of my Dolciani Algebra I TE, Student and Solution Manual.  Just LMK.

Did you see the Homeschool Math pinned thread? Sometimes the ISBNs are linked there.  ETA: Yes, there are links to Amazon pages:  

 

If you are using an online class (see the thread linked above for options) you will need to make sure you are using the same edition as the class.

Once you have the ISBNs, you just need to check the used book sites for copies. Sometimes you might need to buy from more than one vendor.  I use sites like Booksprice.com to compare prices, but keep in mind they don't include all vendors. Some that I like to check are BetterWorld Books, ThriftBooks, Amazon, AbeBooks and Ebay.  

If you can't find ISBNs for the Jacobs and Forester, let us know. I am sure someone on here has them.  😃  

 

Edited March 21, 2021 by cintinative

[ScoutTN]

I have had success with ebay, and Abebooks and occasionally, the Sale board here.
 

Homeschool Classifieds is worth a look, but not much high school math other than Saxon, CLE etc there. 

[Porridge]

2 hours ago, cintinative said:

 

If you want, I can get you the ISBNs of my Dolciani Algebra I TE, Student and Solution Manual.  Just LMK.

Did you see the Homeschool Math pinned thread? Sometimes the ISBNs are linked there.  ETA: Yes, there are links to Amazon pages:  

If

 

Thank you, @cintinative! If you have time to share the ISBN’s of your Dolciani Alg 1 TE, Student, and solution Manuals, that would be great!

ETA: And thank you for the link to the High School Math thread! 

Edited March 21, 2021 by Porridge

[Porridge]

31 minutes ago, ScoutTN said:

I have had success with ebay, and Abebooks and occasionally, the Sale board here.
 

Homeschool Classifieds is worth a look, but not much high school math other than Saxon, CLE etc there. 

Thank you, @ScoutTN- I love abebooks!  I just didn’t know how to figure out which editions to put together to make a complete package 🙂

I didn’t consider eBay- will keep it in mind.

 

[cintinative]

11 hours ago, WTM said:

Thank you, @cintinative! If you have time to share the ISBN’s of your Dolciani Alg 1 TE, Student, and solution Manuals, that would be great!

 

Dolciani Algebra I Solution Manual 0-395-44361-x   copyright 1986

Dolciani Algebra I Teacher's Edition  0-395-35250-9 copyright 1986

Dolciani Algebra I Student  0-395-43052-6  copyright 1988, 1986

It appears my memory was a bit fuzzy--mine are from the late 80s not the 90s.

[stripe]

Many publishers will allow you to buy the student edition of textbooks without doing anything other than ordering them; if you’re looking for teacher’s manuals, you may need to explain yourself, as these aren’t commonly sold to students. Be careful about used books, especially the ISBN, but yes, you can find them in the places one can find any used books, ebay, abebooks, etc. Look multiple places and compare — some sellers list on multiple platforms, for different prices. Some libraries sell used texts in their book sales — you’d be surprised what pops up there. I’ve seen “Mathematics: A Human Endeavor“ a couple times (I bought one), and found an old Dolciani algebra text there too. Lots of Saxon and other popular homeschool stuff. Old board members may remember a long time ago when I posted about NCERT books from India freely available on the internet — a few years ago, I came across the NCERT grade 10 math book at my local library’s book sale! Definitely also worth looking at Homeschool Classifieds, and you can put up a listing for something you’re seeking. I got the entire package for Harold Jacobs’s Algebra book (text, teacher’s ed, tests), even though I really just wanted the text, for $10, if I recall. I had to send a postal money order and wait for her to send them, which was a bit fussy, but it worked out. You will find other homeschooling moms who are willing to pass on their good deals and help you out. 

Edited March 22, 2021 by stripe