Professors' own books best fit some courses

Though some students may raise their eyebrows when professors assign books they have written, both students and professors appreciate the benefits.

Humanities professors say their books are a good basis for discussion, while professors in sciences and math say writing their own textbooks allows them to control the structure and difficulty of their courses.

"Overall, they are not getting rich [assigning their own book]," Princeton University Press salesman Timothy Wilkins said. "Depending on the book and the author's contract, he or she may be making in the range of five to 10 percent of the price that you, the student, are paying for that book."

According to the National Association of College Stores, professors receive an average of 11.6 percent of the income generated by textbooks. Publishers and college stores split most of the rest.

In science departments, professors are sometimes motivated to write and assign their own books because they cannot easily tailor existing literature to their courses.

Ecology and evolutionary biology professor James Gould wrote textbooks for three different classes, on biology, animal behavior and statistics.

"I could not find a book at the suitable level for my students, and with the perspective I brought to the material," Gould said in an email.

Mathematics professor Elias Stein similarly wrote four textbooks for his classes with the University's support.

"To teach the course the way I want to do it in this unified way, I'd have to use the book," he said.

Many students said they don't mind professors assigning their own books, and some said it helps them master the coursework.

"It helps you know the material even better, because it's just reiterated. And when you read the book, you can hear his voice reading it to you," Professor Gould's student Dana Sperber '09 said.

Some professors, however, refrain from assigning their own books because they cover the same ideas in class. Humanities professors especially worry that assigning their own book may put too much emphasis on their own ideas.

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"I wouldn't want to use my own book as the text," philosophy professor Peter Singer said. "There would be too much overlap between the lectures and the text."

Some students, like James Lavelle '09, agree that reading a professor's work in class can get redundant.

"Even though my economics professor assigns many of his own papers for us to read, he's pretty good about presenting the arguments of those who disagree with him," Lavelle said. "The only drawback is that sometimes it seems as though the course is based only around the research he's done."

Humanities students can also view it as an opportunity to question their professors' ideas, though. Rather than feeling compelled to agree with professors, students are encouraged to argue.

"I find that Princeton students like to debate, do not feel cowed by the presence of a professor and are good at challenging orthodox interpretations," said history professor Robert Darnton, who teaches his book, "The Great Cat Massacre," in History 350. "When I precept in History 350, I encourage the students to criticize the book."

Though Singer doesn't assign his books, he lists them on syllabi as optional readings. The royalties from his book "Practical Ethics" are donated to Oxfam, an international aid organization.

"Not to list it at all would be like trying to hide it," Singer said. "And most students would find it in the library anyway."