In 1968 I went solo in a Tiger Moth after about 3 hours. I was a fairly experienced glider pilot. Everything I needed to know was in a small green book called "The Student Pilot's Handbook". There was no radio.
After 70 hours I had to give up and, in 1997, I had to went through the whole course again. I went solo after about 6 hours and everything I needed to know came in several large books.