Text Book for School

I expected going back to college would be a learning experience and I don't mean from books. I'm thinking about policies, practices, students, teachers, exams, etc. and I'm getting my first taste of it. The local community college accepted all of my accounting classes from 1976-77 even though they are so outdated but hey...  Some of them I am going to retake to learn what has changed. Now they require "Practical Accounting Procedures" which is basically an introduction to accounting and is the first class in the accounting series.  Back then it was not a class but I have to take it so that is what I signed up for to start with next month. I went out to school last week to get my text book and was that an experience!  Because class is still about 6 weeks away, they don't have all the books in yet but did had 1 copy of the book I needed even though it was a used book. The clerk kept telling me I could rent the book.  I can't imagine "renting" a text book or getting a digital copy on the computer.  How am I going to mark it up with highlighters and make notes in a rented or digital book?  I kept telling her I wanted the book to KEEP after the class was done.  We looked through the used book and I don't think it had every been used but I still had to pay $98.00 for it - a new one is $160.00. The first thing I noticed when thumbing though it was that it was in color and my old accounting book, which I still have and have referenced many times since the class, was in black and white. I was hoping to take "Ethics in Business" but it was only offered on TV or via the computer and that isn't for me. I want a class room where I can ask questions and hear discussion. Should be an interesting experience!