<p>Most schools require the teachers to have some kind of text for the class, whether or not they actually use it. </p>
<p>I’ll frequently contact professors by email and ask them if the book is necessary, or I’ll ask them if an edition that is a few years old will suffice. They usually reply quickly and are happy to provide the information. Obviously that won’t work though in the case of a class that’s pending staffing.</p>