While textbooks make up only a fraction of the total cost of education, they are undeniably expensive. Nowhere is this truer than medical textbooks like biology textbooks. Biology textbooks are inherently expensive not only because of the intricacy of a subject matter that has required centuries of expensive research, but because of the publishing costs involved with printing large-size books with complicated illustrations. The debate between evolution and creation has made biology a particularly hot field of late, with sparring sides either condemning or praising the contents. This is particularly true of general biology textbooks meant for the high school level. More advanced subsets of biology such as cell biology, molecular biology, human biology and developmental biology are typically taught at the university level. Biology textbooks themselves are published by a small number of publishing houses and have little competition. There is no incentive for them to lower prices if they don't have to. Unfortunately for the cash-strapped student, this can mean having to allocate a significant portion of his or her money for these volumes. Biology textbooks are also used as reference books, however, so purchasers should take heart that they will be able to use their books for years to come. Should scientific advances render portions of the book obsolete, it may be necessary to replace the books at a later date, but most readers find that their biology textbooks can serve them well for quite a long time. | 
