The Price of Knowledge

Woe to the students taking Greek and Roman Studies 17. They have the most expensive reading list on campus. According to the Dartmouth Bookstore, the tab for the course's required and recommended reading totals $ 186.45. (By contrast, the Office of Financial Aid estimates that $250 per student, per term, should be adequate for reading material.) Clearly the works of Livy, Plutarch and Cicero have time-tested value. But even s o, where does all that money go? Are long-dead Roman authors collecting royalties from beyond the grave? Professor Roberta Stewart, who teaches the course, has her own pet conspiracy theory: "Publishers seem to be working to keep classics in the purview of the wealthy elite."