First, some general comments.

If you plan to buy college textbooks online, do it EARLY - at least three to four weeks before classes start. The texts you want to order are likely in high demand. You don't want to find out at the last minute that the texts you need the first day of class aren't shipping for another two weeks.

Why order online? Three words: PRICE, PRICE and PRICE.

Make sure you order the right texts. Things to watch for:

1. Check titles carefully - authors often have similar texts with slightly different titles. Make sure the titles match exactly with what you need.
2. Check the required edition carefully. Some online sites carry older editions that will be useless to you. But sometimes schools order an older edition (say, the 5th Edition) because at the time book orders were placed the new edition (that would be the 6th Edition for our example) had not been released yet.
3. The most reliable piece of information for identifying a book is the ISBN number. If you have it, use it to find the text you need.
4. If you are looking to save money, check before ordering to see if there's an acceptable paperback edition.
5. Make sure you know if the text you're ordering is new or used.
6. Compare prices. Sometimes campus bookstores have prices that compete with online store prices.
7. Make sure you know who you are buying from - some online sites provides links to partners affiliated with that site.
8. You are responsible for ordering the right texts in time for the start of classes. Order early, and check return policies before you buy in case you don't get the texts you need.

Find texts at Amazon.com, TextbookX, and Alibris (entering ISBNs gives the best results):

Enter an ISBN or Keywords: Deep discount textbooks, reference, general reading. New or Used. Buy or Sell. Great prices, Great service.

by title by author

Happy shopping! (Note: the searches above are sponsored links.)

ISBNs may be found on publisher web sites (these links open in a new page so you'll be able to copy ISBNs to the search boxes on this page):

• Addison-Wesley: Mathematics (or Pearson Addison-Wesley: Mathematics). Other subjects can be selected from the drop-down menu at the top of the page. Pearson also publishes in some disciplines under the Allyn & Bacon, Benjamin Cummings and Longman imprints.
• Brooks/Cole: Mathematics (or Thomson Brooks/Cole: Mathematics). For College Algebra, Trigonometry and Precalculus, click on the "Precalculus" link. For algebra classes below College Algebra, click on the "Developmental Mathematics" link. Visit Thompson Higher Education to select other disciplines published under the following Thompson imprints: Duxbury, Heinle, Schirmer, South-Western and Wadsworth.
• W.H. Freeman: Mathematics. Visit the Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishing Group home page to select college textbooks in other disciplines.
• Houghton Mifflin college division Bookstore. Use the "Browse by discipline" menu on the left side of the page to locate your textbooks.
• John Wiley Higher Education: Math. Visit the John Wiley Higher Education to select college textbooks in other disciplines.
• Jones and Bartlett: Mathematics. Visit the Jones and Bartlett Publishers to select college textbooks in other disciplines.
• Key College Press.
• McGraw-Hill Professional Bookstore: Math. Use the menu on the left side of the page to narrow the search. Visit the McGraw-Hill Professional Bookstore College Home to select college textbooks in other disciplines.
• Prentice Hall: Mathematics (or Pearson Prentice Hall: Mathematics). Other subjects can be selected from the drop-down menu at the top of the page.
• Springer: Mathematics Textbooks. Select "Analysis" in the "Select your Subdiscipline" menu to locate calculus texts. Use the "Select a discipline" menu and then click on "Textbooks" to locate textbooks in other disciplines.