Thought I'd highlight this. Fancy textbooks are no substitute for proper studying techniques and revision--the equipment for which costs, what... £40 tops?--and they're useless if you're planning on a lie-in when you should be in a lecture hall at 9am. The golden rule we were told was that we could be examined on anything taught in the lectures, not the books. Hey presto, plenty of stuff reared up which wasn't present in the reading lists. Go figure. Most of my professors say that examinations are over both notes and lectures. If we're talking strictly of science courses, I need the textbook for problems. Trying to find another classmate willing to let you use their textbook to photocopy every problem page necessary is difficult and a big hassle. Also, many of my professors see lacking a textbook as not being prepared for class, and they take actions against that (i.e. marking them absent). I could've gotten away with not renting my Physics textbook for PHYS 1 and 2, but at that point, I didn't want to risk anything.