When your reading list arrives, a part of it might be reference material: a dictionary, a style guide, a citation manual, etc. Naturally, the first thing you’re likely to think of is going to the campus store and buying the newest editions at full price. Yet, for most of these titles, there is a more frugal way to get them.
Reference books are one category where a used copy can often do the same job as a new one. Knowing which titles to buy secondhand, which editions genuinely matter, and how to get the right copy can help you save a good part of your book budget before the term even begins.
What Reference Books to Buy Used
Reference titles do change from one edition to the next.
Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, released in 2025 and now in its 12th edition, includes new words, phrases, usage guidance, and examples. Its 11th edition, published in 2003, still contains all the common definitions that remain useful. The freshest updates matter most if you’re studying contemporary language, lexicography, or current usage. For a general reference need, an older edition does the job just as well.
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Another example: The Elements of Style, first published by William Strunk Jr. in 1918 and revised and expanded by E. B. White in 1959. It is old, short, and still clearer than most of what gets assigned on writing today. You don’t need this very edition, but you probably don’t need the most recent one either. A used copy, ideally the one already highlighted by a previous student, works just as well.
So by paying a campus store for the latest edition, you don’t get anything strikingly different. Thus, it’s more reasonable to buy used textbooks at BooksRun or another online bookselling platform instead.
When the Edition Actually Matters
Citation manuals are the exception worth mentioning. The Modern Language Association (MLA) Handbook, Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), and The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) get periodic revisions, and instructors do pay attention. MLA is currently on its 9th edition, APA on its 7th, and Chicago on its 18th, so for these, it is worth having the current version.
The useful part is that “current” and “used” are not mutually exclusive. A used copy of the current ninth edition of the MLA Handbook follows the same rules as a new copy of that edition. Buy the edition your course requires, but there is no reason it has to be new.
How to Get the Right Copy
Check the ISBN, the thirteen-digit number printed above the barcode on the back cover. Search by that number rather than the title when you’re looking for reference books at BooksRun, because one title can appear in a dozen near-identical editions, and the ISBN is the only thing that confirms you are getting the exact copy you need.
So that’s exactly what you need to know before you buy reference books. For a writing guide and a dictionary, go for the least expensive used copy you can find. For citation manuals, buy the current edition secondhand. Make sure to check the ISBN every time to get the copies you need. If you follow these simple recommendations, your intimidating August reading list will turn into something you can comfortably afford.
