NEW YORK, Aug. 29, 2006 -Pearson Education, the world's leading education company, today said that its SafariX eTextbooks Online™ digital textbook program would offer 1,000 titles this school year, the highest number since its introduction in 2004. SafariX eTextbooks offers students a 50% savings off the suggested list price of the print equivalent edition.

Pearson Education also plans to distribute over 25,000 1-week trial cards at more than 400 college campuses over the next month for SafariX eTextbooks Online as a way to introduce students to the half-price electronic textbook option.

"We continue to see increased interest in SafariX eTextbooks as students discover the benefit of lower pricing and the convenience of a digital format," said Sandi Kirshner, chief marketing officer, Pearson Higher Education. "SafariX eTextbooks are an important part of our PearsonChoices program, which offers the highest quality learning programs and a wide choice of media, formats and price points. These print and digital choices address faculty and student needs for learning materials that fit their particular educational goals and budgets."

SafariX eTextbooks offer all the convenience and interactive benefits of the web, allowing students to print pages, make annotations, take notes, search the full text, and add bookmarks to organize their study, anywhere they have browser access. Subscriptions are for a semester or a full-year, depending on the course and textbook. SafariX eTextbooks retain all of the content and pagination of its printed textbook counterpart.

Pearson offers leading textbooks in every major discipline area from branded imprints Prentice Hall, Addison Wesley, Benjamin Cummings, Allyn & Bacon, and Longman. Popular titles such as Principles of Marketing, 11/E by Philip Kotler; Financial Management, Principles and Applications, 10/E by Arthur Keown, et al; Economics, 7/E by Michael Parkin; Abnormal Psychology, 12/E by James Butcher, et al; Psychology by Sandra Ciccarelli, et al; and Sociology by John Macionis, are now available in electronic format.

SafariX eTextbooks Online is delivered using a proven and secure platform for digital book delivery, developed through a joint venture between Pearson Technology Group, the world's leading publisher of textbooks for IT professionals, and O'Reilly Media, Inc.

About Pearson Education

Educating 100 million people worldwide, Pearson Education (www.pearsoned.com) is the global leader in educational publishing, providing research-based print and digital programs to help students of all ages learn at their own pace, in their own way. The company is home to such renowned publishing brands as Pearson Prentice Hall, Pearson Addison Wesley, Pearson Longman, Pearson Allyn & Bacon, Pearson Benjamin Cummings, Pearson Custom Publishing, and others. Pearson Education is part of Pearson (NYSE: PSO), the international media company. In addition to Pearson Education, Pearson's primary operations include the Financial Times Group and the Penguin Group.

About PearsonChoices

Pearson Higher Education is committed to providing significant flexibility and value for hundreds of its leading titles. Each title in the PearsonChoices program is available in several formats in addition to SafariX eTextbooks and the traditional print textbook. Students can now go to MyPearsonStore.com to see all of the choices available to them, including SafariX eTextbooks. Faculty can also choose from brief, custom, and text/Web combinations:

• Text/Web Combinations
  MyLab and OneKey are powerful interactive learning environments for many college courses. Used with or without a print textbook, each MyLab or OneKey product provides a wealth of teaching and learning resources, with affordable pricing options.

• Alternate Print Editions
  These are brief or alternate format titles, usually priced at 25%-33% less than traditional print books and include: Penguin Academics and Pearson Prentice Hall Portfolio Editions, both price-friendly, streamlined books; and Books a la Carte, three-hole punched, portable, and inexpensive versions of textbooks.

• Pearson Custom Texts
  Whether an instructor is looking to author his/her own instructional materials; build a textbook from our library of copyrighted content; reorganize existing text; or do all of the above, Pearson Custom Publishing provides the industry-leading solution.

Each title in PearsonChoices will always:

• Be available for sale in professor-required bundles or on its own.
• Have suggested list pricing based on generally accepted bookstore markup and will be available on our Web sites so students can know what they should expect to pay.
• Highlight all changes in new editions.

Contact:

David Hakensen
Pearson Education
(952) 681-3040