What is the meaning of "one first hand"?

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi everyone, can you please tell me what is the meaning of “one first hand” in this sentence:

“Suppose a person living in the United States wants to learn about India. He has
two options: he could visit India and learn about the people and places there or
he could just pick up a book about India and read it. The first option will be
expensive and time consuming, but at the same time it gives one first hand
information and a sense of satisfaction while the second option is less
expensive and saves time.”

Is the word “one” in phrase “one first hand” has the same meaning with word “one” in this sentence:

“Books are a great source of information. A person in his lifetime cannot
experience everything, but by reading a book on a particular subject he can gain
knowledge over that subject in less time. There are books available on any
subject that one needs.”

Thanks,
Quebec12

2

Hi Quebec

Yes, in both sentences the word “one” means “a person” or “people in general”. It’s also similar to saying “someone”. You will also see the word “you” rather than “one” used this way.
dictionary.cambridge.org/define. … &dict=CALD
dictionary.cambridge.org/define. … &dict=CALD

The expression “first hand” was used as an adjective in sentence 1. It modifies the noun “information”. However, it should be written as one word (firsthand), or hyphenated (first-hand).
dictionary.cambridge.org/define. … &dict=CALD

Firsthand information about a country is information you get by being in the country yourself and experiencing it for yourself. If your information about a country comes only from reading about the country (i.e. you have never actually visited the country yourself), then your information about the country is not firsthand.
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