Earlier today, I posted two "Dorky Poll" entries, one asking for people to nominate their favorite science textbook in comments, the other asking for their least favorite science textbook. As of 7:15, a bit less than nine hours after the posts went live, the comment totals are:
- Dorky Poll: Least Favorite Textbook: 32 comments
- Dorky Poll: Favorite Textbook: 12 comments
Negative preferences lead positive ones by almost a factor of three.
This isn't surprising, or shouldn't be surprising to anyone who knows actual human beings, but it's kind of striking.
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I'm not sure it's just psychology. Textbooks... particularly SCIENCE textbooks, are not really written to be ENJOYED by anyone. They tend to be purely utilitarian. Asking for someone's favorite textbook is kind of like asking someone to choose their favorite screwdriver.
I think its just that Jackson leaves permanent scars....
If it helps, I read the favorite textbooks, but not the least favorite. People prefer to complain, but would rather read about what is good, perhaps?
And to previous comment, in my E&M class, we used a book written by the professor(not well known), and all of us LOVED Jackson because it was so much clearer and easier to understand. I think I used it as much as Griffith's E&M, and although I love Griffith's, it was more useful on a lot of things.
I am with Perry.
Jackson's not a bad book, which is why it has remained the standard for so long.
People don't hate Jackson because it's bad... people hate it because it's hard. :)
Don't have time to go back and look, but didn't at least a couple of posts under Least Favorite also offer their Favorite, too? Doesn't seem like it'd be so, but counting is such a messy enterprise....
Perhaps it's because it's easier to write a "bad" textbook than a good one? I also notice quite a few people disagreed with other people's choices of least favorite books, i.e., "That book is great, what are you talking about! This book is the reeeeally bad one."
Hey, I have a favorite screwdriver...