As part of a yearly university mandated assessment of a large basic communication course that fulfills the oral communication general education requirement, this study examined student preferences for textbooks, reading, and learning. Specifically, basic course students ("N"=321) at a large state university in the Midwest were asked to complete a survey regarding paper textbook and e-textbook usage in their classes. The results indicated that neither reading the paper textbook nor the e-textbook was a predictor of grade, but comfort in accessing the e-textbook through the online portal was associated with grade. Many students reported strong preferences for paper textbook usage, and indicated several reasons for not liking or not using the e-textbook. The results of this assessment study could help communication course instructors make decisions about adopting e-textbooks versus paper textbooks, as well as alert them to the challenges students may experience with textbook reading. (Contains 4 tables.)