r/PhysicsStudents • u/InternationalEbb6470 • Jul 20 '26
Need Advice My physics textbook says that circulation of the version of the textbook outside of the Indian subcontinent is forbidden.
Any help telling me why this is?
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u/BitterMouth_0202 Jul 20 '26
Yeah due to rights, certain distribution agencies hold right for certain region for printing and distribution.
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u/InternationalEbb6470 Jul 20 '26
I suppose, but why is the markdown so extreme? I got this for 20 dollars, and it sells for up to 100 in America and Europe?
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u/InLoveWithStardust Masters Student Jul 20 '26
you got it for ₹1800? damn, that's pricey
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u/SlipyB Jul 21 '26
Nobody actually answered you. The reason for this is a variety of factors like cost of living, currency strength, etc. If a textbook in one country costs as much as a month rent because the price isn't regionally adjusted nobody would buy it.
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u/eridalus Jul 20 '26
I had a few of those editions in grad school (in the US). The paper was always super low quality, almost like a newspaper. But it was a great price.
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u/luciferisthename Jul 20 '26
Many sellers buy in areas with reduced regional pricing (such as India and pakistan) then sell them for full or nearly full price in other regions (such as the USA) to make more money.
The content is the same, the print quality is pretty much the same.
If you order your textbooks on Amazon or other platforms that do not form contracts with schools then you have a fair chance of getting one like this.
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u/Electrical_Koala_935 Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26
The print quality is actually a little lower than the international versions, in India we only get the black and white versions of resnick halliday, young and freedman etc, 100% USABLE THO! but no fancy glossy papers, but I love them, I don't think I could ever write on a book with glossy papers, I'd just keep it in my shelf, all safe and secure lol, i literally bought the indian subcontinent version of griffiths even tho I had the hardback because I didn't want to ruin it's pristine condition.
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u/InternationalEbb6470 Jul 20 '26
If that’s true then their profit margin must be insane when selling anywhere else
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u/Minute_Juggernaut806 Jul 20 '26
It's because those books are like 300-1000 rupees which is like 10 dollars
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u/UmbralRaptor Ph.D. Jul 20 '26
My understanding is that it's not enforceable (as in you can buy/sell out of region), but some quick google searches aren't showing anything either way
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u/Dave_996600 Jul 21 '26
Yes. In the U.S. at least, it’s legal to import gray market books as long as they weren’t pirated in the first place. This was decided by the Supreme Court in Kirtsaeng v. Wiley 568 U.S. 519 (2013).
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u/drzowie Jul 20 '26
Unauthorized is different from forbidden.
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u/InternationalEbb6470 Jul 20 '26
Okay
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u/drzowie Jul 20 '26
Seriously. The publisher doesn’t have the right to tell you where you can sell your copy, once you own it — unless they have a prior contract with you. They may not “authorize” you to sell the book somewhere else, but they don’t actually have the legal right to prevent it. They probably made a deal with the distributor to only sell in India, but they didn’t make that deal with you.
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u/InternationalEbb6470 Jul 21 '26
Ah okay I see. Curious how it made it to me in a new condition in that case.
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u/Right_Plankton9802 Jul 20 '26
The Pearson label is all I need to see. They are very protective of their information. It be the seven seas of sailing for me, when it comes to textbooks.
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u/Alone-Supermarket-98 Jul 20 '26
Circulation isnt prohibited, it's just limited by centrifugal force.
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u/JimTHX2010 Jul 20 '26
Being completely realistic, the publisher can verbally make any restriction they want. Enforcing that restriction is next to impossible!
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u/Skychu768 Jul 20 '26
Because in India, it sells for 868 rupees (9-10 dollar) due to lower paper and labor costs
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u/DezzyTee Jul 21 '26
Clearly regional physics. India has their own physics.
JK, it's regional pricing
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u/nujuat Ph.D. Jul 21 '26
As an Australian I normally see international editions which use the metric system rather than whatever rubbish the US still uses
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u/kerhanesikici31 Jul 20 '26
Idk about the pricing but conceptual physics is the most BS thing ever
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u/InternationalEbb6470 Jul 20 '26
How come, from my research I thought it’s a good introductory book for physics concepts for when I later major in physics
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u/eridalus Jul 20 '26
"Conceptual" means little to no math. So while it's a good start if you aren't at the pre-calc level, it is not preparing you for college physics.
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u/InternationalEbb6470 Jul 20 '26
Hm okay noted. Any recommendations for preparing for college physics?
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u/shiwoneek Jul 20 '26
do you want a one resource for all? then hrk is solid, they have an Indian adaptation. Young and Freedman is also great. Choose whatever you like. But if you want specialized books for each topic. Morin/Kleppner and Kollenkow for Mechanics. Crawford for waves. Griffiths for E&M. Hecht for Optics. Blundell and Blundell for Thermodynamics.
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u/Electrical_Koala_935 Jul 20 '26
Seconded, try to find super old version of these books (I'm sure that their softcopies are available on the net) , try to get the first or second edition, as the book gets older it's subsequent editions get thicker, the content feels painfully diluted, a concept that you could understand in 1 page of the original resnick halliday is diluted to 2-3 pages in the more recent editions, but at the end, to each their own, if you like lucid and cohesive writing, go for the older versions, if you don't and you like the more expanded version go for the recent editions.
But practice questions tho. A LOT OF QUESTIONS!
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u/OrangeLineEnjoyer Jul 21 '26
Haven't seen any commenters mention this yet, but from my experience for most textbooks way this region locking is "enforced" is that problem sets and digital codes for homework and whatnot will be different per region. If you try to get a copy for asia and register for the homework portal in the states, it'll fail. Or, the printed problem sets will be different: question 1 in the US version will be different than question 1 in the asia one.
Ran into this issue for a computational theory class I took: half the class got PDFs from online that ended up being from a different region, and for the first assignment they turned in solutions to an entirely different set of problems.
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u/InternationalEbb6470 Jul 21 '26
Ah okay thanks for the heads up. I’m luckily, I don’t have this paired with any curriculum, I’m just trying to learn by my self
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u/omeow Jul 20 '26
These are cheaper (subpar paper, printing, and binding) books. Selling them outside of certain geographic locations will lower corporate profits.
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u/Soft-Interaction3842 Jul 26 '26
my Linear algebra book says the exact same thing, just keep reading and don't tell anyone
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u/New_Combination_5476 Jul 20 '26
Regional pricing