This is the first oscillator I ever built. I remember looking at books and magazines, schematics on the net, etc. They were all either colpitt or hartley oscillators. Generally speaking while they’re simple enough, they require the use of proper inductors which is something that usually you don’t have when you’re just starting out or you can’t measure them because you don’t yet own the proper equipment (unless you’re lucky).
As to avoid frustration, you should ignore them for now and take a look at simpler oscillators like the one that follows:
