also: どくほん
このシリーズは初心者向けの読本として人気がある。
This series is popular as a reader for beginners.
I bought a guidebook on sake and am studying it.
textbook (historical, esp. pre-war Japanese language textbook)
Specifically refers to pre-war elementary school Japanese language textbooks. In modern contexts, this historical sense is usually clarified or used in discussions of education history.
Pre-war Japanese language readers contain many expressions that are no longer used today.
I bought a beginner's guide to investing.
The publisher put out a guide to child-rearing.