A 1908 textbook describes an alphanumeric display system using incandescent lamps and a mechanical switching arrangement.

This textbook described the importance that recognizing human emotions has to relationships between people, and the possible effects of such recognition by robots.

A textbook on renewable energy describes the energy transformation:

Medical textbooks describe osteoporosis differently for men than for women.

A textbook on diplomacy describes the silence procedure thus:

Another textbook described the Pilgrims simply as "people who make long trips."

But from the perspective of how people actually are, as opposed to how the textbooks describe them, there very well may be some rationality to this.

This textbook describes the physiological, psychological and sociological aspects of running, and includes racing strategies for long distance runners.

In those instances, as the textbooks metaphorically described it: "The magic behaves like a fiery steed.

The textbooks describe an increase in human brain size that parallels an increasing sophistication in stone tools.