I did not have many of the materials that the books discussed, but I learned through trial and error.
A.
I did not have many of the materials that the books discussed, but I tried a number of different ways and learned from the mistakes that I made.
B.
I did not have many of the materials that the books discussed, I made trials and mistakes
C.
I did not have many of the materials that the books discussed, but I learned through tests.