Textbooks

Textbooks are educational material used within an educational setting that reflects the authoritative theories and principles addressed by the instructor or coursework. Textbooks have been part of the learning environment since premodern times when they were used for religious instruction. For most of the 19th and 20th centuries, they became the primary means of transmitting instruction for both technical and moral development.

Unlike scholarly publications that promote research in a certain area and are important to the tenure process or technical manuals that provide step-by-step instructions, textbooks are primarily designed for use within the classroom by both teacher and student as an aid to instruction. Textbooks are often published as full-color editions with glossy paper and can include material from dozens of primary sources. A textbook ...