My wallet needed abuse counseling after I finished buying textbooks this week. After a brain-numbing two hours online, I found the six textbooks I needed. Thankfully, I was able to save almost $100 off the UW Bookstore price. I was amazed at how much cheaper it turned out to be.

With such ridiculous textbook prices these days, there must be a criminal textbook-peddling racket.

Yes, in a distant corner office, some Houghton-Mifflin CEO is smoking a big cigar, his double chin wiggling as he laughs. His suit is Armani, his cufflinks are gold and his Scotch is abundant. His empire is built upon the backs of trembling students everywhere, who are forced to buy mass-produced textbooks to legitimize their educations. He colludes with his top people to invent new editions out of thin air and unashamedly raise book prices.

While the rest of the economy is suffering, this is one industry that remains profitable. We must continue to buy textbooks, even though it’s not so much a want as a need. The value is hard to see at the start of the quarter, especially after dropping a fat wad of cash.

Some textbooks are a reasonable exchange. Every once in a while, you can spend less than 100 bucks to get a book with real color pictures, engaging writing and a binding that survives the abuses of a quarter. Your textbook may even have a stylish cover and look trendy as it juts out of your messenger bag. Just don’t get too attached to it, because they’ll come out with a new edition a month after you buy it.

This is the textbook buyer’s dilemma: what the heck does “fifth edition” even mean? In most cases, the publisher probably adds a sentence to each chapter, changes the cover and raises the price. Textbook editions are a sham meant to greedily siphon cash from us.

In 2005, WASHpirg and other peer interest groups published “Ripoff 101,” an exposé about astronomical textbook prices. According to the report, textbook prices have been increasing at a rate four times higher than the standard inflation on all finished goods. Publishing companies are forcing us to buy new editions of which even most professors don’t see the benefit. They attach cheap bells and whistles, like CD-Roms and lame online resources, in order to drive up the cost even more.

Then — oh boy! You get to sell it back to the store at an eighth of the price you paid for it. Even though you didn’t highlight, dog-ear or damage your book, it still depreciates like a new car leaving the lot, and you still feel like you were suckered into buying it — like some salesman in a clip-on tie shook your hand until you gave in.

The best way to fight this scheme is to photocopy a book you’ve gotten from the library, or even one you’ve borrowed from a friend. It may not have a glossy cover, but it sure beats shelling out your hard-earned pay for a scam.

Search the Web for the best deals. Examine the real difference between the last two editions, if you can find them. At the very least, ask your professor how necessary the edition update is, and see if you can’t convince them to let you use an older book.

The last thing we need is a bookstore filled with students toeing the party line and paying full price for something they could have at a fraction of the cost. I found my books online and saved half. Whether they all get here on time is a risk I’m willing to take. Keep your money, and maybe Mr. CEO will someday have to use his own cash to tip his caddie and fill up his Lincoln.

Reach columnist Jackson Rohrbaugh at opinion@dailyuw.com.