Should I use recommended textbook for Calc 1?

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Starting calculus can be daunting, especially when choosing the right textbook. The discussion centers around the recommended textbook "Essential Calculus - Early Transcendentals," which has received negative reviews, raising concerns about its user-friendliness. The term "recommended" is interpreted as optional, suggesting that it may not align with every student's learning style. Some participants note that if the book is not directly used in the course and has poor reviews, it might be wise to avoid it. Additionally, there are many excellent online resources available, such as the MIT Online text, which could serve as valuable alternatives for students seeking supplementary materials.
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I will be starting calculus 1 in a few weeks and I was wondering if i should use "Essential Calculus - Early Transcendentals" our reccomended textbook. I was going to buy it on amazon but noticed it got a lot of negative reviews. I am the sort of student that needs to learn a lot from the book and I'm a bit worried that this book is not user friendly. Has anyone got any suggestions of an alternative in case I decide to get another book?
 
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What does "recommended" mean in this case?
My courses have a single "required" text and several "recommended" ones. To me "recommended" means "optional" and is included for those students who find the required text (which is required because I teach from it) does not match up well with their learning style.

I found the book on Amazon and they say there are no reviews for it yet. Perhaps yours is a different book? This one claims to be concise at 900 pages - which would still be 3x the size of the text I learned from :/

If it is not being used directly by the course, and it has a lot of bad reviews, then don't get it.

I don't know what "Calculus 1" means... so I'll leave someone else to make a specific suggestion. The book I found seems to be for year 1 college though, with that in mind:

There are now many excellent online resources. eg. MIT Online text, and other resources on that page.
 

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