Piracy is a sensitive topic, regardless of the media being pirated.

There are always 2 sides to a coin.

It's all about respect towards the intellectual property of the author of the book, at the root.

The pricing should be the first thing to be considered, though.

In the end, it's all a matter of choice. If you think it's worth it to buy the original material at the stipulated price, then just splurge on it. Don't be influenced by other people who could get their hands on the same thing via other means. If you think the pricing is not right, but you still want the thing (the book, in this case), then think hard before you photostat or download the pirated e-book version or buy a pirated version. Does your conscience tell you that the author does not deserve the royalty you're paying for his/her original material? Or you don't like the idea that somebody in the middle will pocket most of the cash you're paying instead of the author himself/herself? Or you don't even care about these things at all (you just wanted that darn book, and will get it by any means necessary, even if you got it for free)?

The act of piracy is against the law, though. So, still, do the right thing is the best bet, in my opinion. And I believe if a lot of people start to boycott an over-priced book, eventually the publisher would lower the price anyway.

This post has been edited by seedohbehlei: Apr 28 2009, 11:12 PM