Does anyone have experience with international edition text books?

[Geekchick]

I was thinking about buying some text for my own enlightenment but I cannot afford even most of the used text. However, I have been seeing plenty of international editions really cheap. What I want to know is has anyone had good experiences with international editions? i.e. they aren't lacking any material or the like.

thanks!

 

[phreak]

International editions are usually the same as the regular versions. I bought the international version of Rudin's 'Real and Complex Analysis' for $20. At the local bookstore, the regular version goes for $180. The versions are exactly the same.

 

[Geekchick]

thanks that's one of the text I'm looking for!

 

[cordyceps]

Same here. I bought an international edition of Griffith's Electrodynamics for $20 ($80-$100 on Amazon) and it's perfectly fine.

 

[Daverz]

No one has said anything about the quality of paper and printing.

 

[WiFO215]

I live outside US and all my books are International editions. They are just as good as the original versions and are much cheaper.

However, quality of the paper is a little lower. For example, when I was drinking water, a drop accidentally fell on my Calculus volume I [Apostol]. Even now if you turn to that page, that spot looks a little funny. It was only a drop luckily. Such things wouldn't have happened on the original versions I suppose.

Not many printing mistakes (in fact no mistakes in my Apostol and Griffiths). Just one or two in my Boas like bracket missing on one side or the d is missing in the differential sign. You'd be able to make out d/' 'x (y) is supposed to be d/dx(y) so its not much to worry about.

The 'good' points outweigh the 'bad' so I'd recommend buying these books.

 

[jtbell]

One of my students bought an international version of Griffiths's E&M book, and it fell apart after a few weeks.

 

[ruecow]

I bought international editions of Rudin's Principles of Mathematical Analysis ("Baby Rudin"), Artin's Algebra, and Munkres' Topology. The savings were huge, all were the most recent editions, and the content and pagination were identical to the U.S. versions. But Munkres was printed on something closer to toilet paper than what you usually find in books (Artin and Rudin were ok quality paperbacks), and it's also illegal for people living outside some Asian countries to buy Munkres. Not sure about the legality of Artin or Rudin, but I expect a lot of these books can't legally be bought by people living in any of the developed countries. I think they're great bargains, even if printed on really cheap paper, and you're more likely to be hit by a meteor than be prosecuted for buying a black market science book. But maybe you're more moral than me...

 

[Winzer]

I have bought: Boas: Mathematical Methods for the Physical Sciences, Marion & Thornton: Classical Dynamics, Griffiths: Quantum Mechanics, Kleppner & Kolenkow: Introduction to Mechanics. I have used all of these in class except for K&K. I have found no difference in material coverage or problems given.
You still need to be careful. My friend was using a EE book that had the the problems out of order and in different units. It's just my luck that haven't had this problem; then again, they are pretty popular books so I don't know if that has something to do with it.