Cost of college texbooks up 82% in last decade - Why?

 From USA Today, 08/20/13:

College students and some of their professors are pushing back against ever-escalating textbook prices that have jumped 82% in the past decade.

Editor's note: It's not unusual for a standard college text book to cost $150.00 and even more. Why? One reason is that it's a captive audience and if a professor assigns the book, the poor student or his/her parent is going to buy it because it is "required" for the course. Students are finding a way around this gouging. Good for them. As an Adjunct Professor in Health Science and in Social Work I was always very careful about the books I used for my courses because I understood how onerous the financial costs could be on the students in my class. As a student myself, I haven't always found my professors so thoughtful.

While this is a financial issue and maybe a pedagogical one as well, I think it also should be considered an ethical and moral issue. Education, especially higher education, has become increasingly commercialized and "gone corporate" as they say. Why would any one pay $40,000 or $50,000 dollars a year for a private college education when with a little self discipline and self organization you could learn the same stuff by googling it?

College classes start in Brockport on Monday, August 26th, and like Black Friday the book buying rush will be on. 

I wonder what Archie Kutz, the owner of the Lift Bridge Book Shop would have to say about the text book gouging?