ian:
Yeah, there are books and there are BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKS nom nom nom. If TI or C64, these wouldn't be going up.
Media mail is pretty cheap for these. About $3 each I think. Frankly, for the few dollars more, I would usually go with Priority Mail to avoid delays. I do offer Media Mail in case anybody really enjoys the "anticipation".
(Also, media mail isn't sealed against postal inspection. USPS wants to enforce their requirements for the lower rate, and if Big Brother benefits from knowing what people are reading, well, ha ha, we never thought of that, but now that you mention it...*innocent whistle*...the point is, there is somewhat greater chance that Media Mail will get opened and inspected, than there is for Priority Mail.
Apple manuals aren't exactly contraband, but frankly I like to seal my packages like they were going to the MOON, and I don't know if I trust the postal inspectors to take the same care when resealing. Still, for a book, the major issue here, again, is the delay.)