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videos are nice because i can see how the tricks works and i can decide whether or not i wanna learn it.
but
books teaches you alot better and also makes things very clear but i wont get the full concept on how it works (or looks) until i do it.

which one do you guys perfer?

i'd say i find it easier to learn things from a video/slash/DVD, being able to see someone actually doing a sleight from various angles i see as being much more helpful than simply reading it in a book.
although saying that there are some DVDs that do it Really badly

DVD's are a great learning tool, But they dont last forever. With new tech like HD & Blu ray, its only a matter of time before DVD will be out dated.

I think Books are best to learn from. Because you intepurtate the effect in your own style.

To many people copy what they see on DVD's / Videos. But with a book you make the trick your own, and i believe you get a better understanding of the effect. Plus books dont go out of date

I like watching dvd's to see how a sleight is done, how it should look like. Sometimes it's easier to learn from the dvd. But in order for me to get down all the moves really really well I prefer books. In fact, I was able to glance through Card College the other day. I owe RRTCM and I love it, but Card College maybe gives you even more details on each movement. I'm not even half-through RRTCM but I got an attack of CUPS and feel I "need" Card College. All the phalanx talk just made me think even more about positions of the fingers and hands, things I hadn't even considered until now. If I had to make a bet and choose, I would choose book.

I'm a book worm, DVDs are ok but I'd much rather sit down in a quiet corner and work through a book.

books are far better value for money...but on sleights i struggled with, like the classic pass, and the deliberate side steal, i came on leaps and bounds after buying a dedicated dvd on the subject...

im kinda 70% books, 30% dvd if im honest...

I prefer to get books in terms of value for money but the help you can gain from DVD's for dissicult sleights can be a godsend!!

I prefer books because you can take them out and read them wherever you like. But I also like watching the performances on DVDs. I like the one's where there is an audience, rather than someone just talking to camera. Although Derren Browns Devils P. Book DVD was enjoyable to watch. Although I have The Artful Mentalism of... I will still buy the DVD of cassidy at some point just to watch him in action.

My only complaint about magic books is that they are usually massive hardback books which aren't as comfortable to hold. I know people will say that they last better but I've got paperback magazines from the 1930s that are still in good condition.

I like the portability of books, as well as the way you can easily reread bits, chop and change between pages (or multiple books) and bookmark or annotate them. I also find, like recipe books, it's easy enough of skim read sections you don't need to concentrate so hard on.

Having said that, actually seeing something in action, especially if difficult to describe is really useful. It's also quite inspirational to see the effect in action.

As R Paul Wilson says in his introduction to RRTCM DVD, the DVD work really well in conjunction with the book, and he's right.

Definately books but as people have said before DVD's are great for learning difficult moves and sleights. Another thing about learning of DVD's that annoys me can be the speed.

I've found myself constantly stopping and having to rewind each move of a trick. Whereas with books its all there in front of you to go at your own pace.

I also don't like it when someone walks into the room and I have to scramble for the remote to turn the DVD of. They assume that I have been watching something more erotic than magic

Books tend to have a lot more material and are also cheaper. Personally though I find I learn better from DVDs so I tend to get them instead.

Wills wrote:I also don't like it when someone walks into the room and I have to scramble for the remote to turn the DVD of. They assume that I have been watching something more erotic than magic

what's more erotic than magic for heaven's sake? i can't think of anything...

i can heartily recommend a portable dvd player...magic on the move...and especially spicy when shared with a lover...when the magic has gone out of the relationship...ha and indeed ha...

I really like books just because I feel like it links you to magicians of the past who read books just like it. However, I do think for some books there should be a companion DVD to show you how to do some of the more difficult sleights and effects.

Wills wrote:I also don't like it when someone walks into the room and I have to scramble for the remote to turn the DVD of. They assume that I have been watching something more erotic than magic

That happens to me too!