Sometimes there’s a story you find yourself telling over and over again. Not some sort of thrilling story, but one that’s akin to revealing a shortcut to a fellow traveler on their way to a common destination. I have one such story, on the topic of effort and learning. I call it The Second Textbook.


I studied physics in college and around my junior year courses started getting into esoteric topics which required more effort. These upper level courses typically had additional resources on the syllabus, and often I would find myself in the library reviewing suggested references.

For one course in particular, solid state physics, I found what I considered my second textbook. The professor had assigned a primary textbook, but at the library I had found a better book. Each week, I’d read a chapter from the primary text, have some wobbly understanding of the topic, and then move on to my second textbook to refine my understanding. The second textbook was so much better that I decided to tell the professor about it, thinking he might appreciate my student perspective and consider using it next time he taught the course.

He had a friendly laugh when I made my recommendation. It turned out that the textbook I had found was one he had used as the primary text last time he taught the class. At that time, some students insisted they had found another textbook which was much better to learn from. The professor took their feedback to heart and decided to teach from that textbook next time. That book was now the primary text for my class.

Which book was the better learning resource? My professor had been teaching long enough to have seen the effect of sequence in teaching material. In general, students that were putting in the extra effort tended to prefer the alternative recommended resource. He could swap the order from year to year and it didn’t matter, there were always students that insisted the primary textbook was inferior to the alternative resource.

Knowledge and skill development happens in stages, accumulates, and comes from various sources and experience. People talk about having different learning styles, usually identifying a preference for text, audio or video. People certainly learn in different ways, but I’d be willing to bet that almost nobody learns in only one way. As for the second textbook, the lesson that always stood out for me is recognizing the ongoing effort of learning.

Wherever you are in your learning, whatever method or book you’re amidst when you transition from a sense of struggle to a sense of comprehension, you’re likely to attribute that “last click” as the way you learn, or “the best” resource. In this regard, the second textbook can get too much credit, and it can be easy to neglect the fruits of your prior efforts.

The second textbook, as a concept, as a reality, is always there. Don’t forget to look for it, but don’t forget to appreciate your efforts and give yourself some credit.