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I wondered what other people thought. I think books are better then DVD's for learning magic and recording the subject for future generations. This is because books usualy have more things in them, allow people to learn their own slant on the thing better then DVD's, they can be read anywere (nearly) and the format is'nt going to change making them obsolete (e.g. VHS) and books have been around a long time so there is a lot of 'undiscovered' stuff in them. Booklets are easier to produce then DVD's. Books last hundards of years, no one knows if electronic media will.

Books have a connection with the past that electronic media never will (notes, book plates etc)

I'm I right or is it just because I'm a sad, grumpy old man?

Sad grumpy old man

I like dvds but theres nothing better than still learning from a book even when your on the bog

A little bit too much infomation possibly!

Looks like i was right with my 1st guess

A bit of both. I have the RRTCM book, and the DVD set (the cheap one, with the American chap) and while I like reading the book, I find the examples and drills easier to follow when they're performed on screen. I guess the only downside of the DVDs is that I may be influenced to follow the on-screen performance, rather than developing my own handlings.

Early days though, so time will tell.

I much prefer dvd for learning, but that's just my opinion.

I think one of the problems from a learners point of view like myself is.
Knowing what the various terms are which are being referred to.

I disagree that dvd format does not give one, one's own slant on a routine.
I now have several routines which I have adapted with my own storyline, & bare no resemblance
to the taught dvd method.
One example of this is.
The John Guastaferro routine "Fairy Tale Frogs"
My own routine is now "Rabbits in, & out of the hat"
Same routine, but with different cards, & different patter.

Pretty much the same in my school days for me.
Give me a book to learn with, & things just ground to a halt.
Show me, & more often than not, I left most of my class mates in the wings.

Just my two cents worth.
For what it's worth.
CArl...

The two mediums have different strengths and weaknesses. Books are obviously much better for historical context of tricks, theory, and deep understanding. When learning effects from books, you're forced to use your imagination, which makes your interpretation of the effects unique. Videos, on the other hand, can teach technical moves much better than books. We with our monkey brains and mirror neurons can learn movements much better by watching and copying. However, the distinct disadvantage of videos is in the artistic formation of the performer. We had a kid on these forums a few years ago who, at the time, was obsessed with Jay Sankey. He watched so many Sankey videos he ended up having a style that was basically a mini-Sankey. While his example was extreme and somewhat humorous, many magicians end up using the jokes, lines, and styles they pick up on videos. Because of this, many performers come off as insincere and unoriginal in their delivery. With books, such undesirable epiphenomena do not occur.

Regarding longevity, I'd stay with books. The fact that copies of books from many hundreds of years ago exist today, yet the formats of digital media change every decade means that physical books are the best way to publish things that deserve to last.

I learnt almost everything I know (and not only about magic) from books and I much prefer them. They're much easier to dip into, for one thing. I have a few DVDs but I generally can't be bothered to fiddle around with them to find the bits I want - and one set in particular is so badly filmed that some of the moves are incomprehensible anyway.

But that applies to books too; some of them are also pretty incomprehensible, even if they don't have annoying typos. I could name a few well-respected standard textbooks that include bits that make me think "what?" when I try out the suggested moves. This is often down to diagrams that are too small and muddy.

For examples of how books should be written, I recommend the work of Bill Severn. A while ago I bought his "Complete Book of Magic" (actually a compilation of three earlier books) and I was immediately struck by his attention to detail; "meticulous" was the word that came to mind. i wish all magic books were written like that.

Barry

jon_kent wrote: theres nothing better than still learning from a book even when your on the bog

Toilet reading is the BEST thing in the world. FACT!

Haha yes !

Thats me, you and Derren Brown who like it lol

Anyone else lol

Can see pros and cons for both

Books, pros - easier to dip into, can be picked up and taken anywhere, no set up required, cheaper

Cons - Harder to picture certain sleights, somethings you NEED to see

DVD's - pros, easier to learn stuff and usually more user friendly, people tend to pick up more from DVD's

cons - more expensive, you can end up performing like the person, more difficult to take TV + DVD everywhere!

On the whole I'm a DVD man....at the moment anyway

jon_kent wrote:Anyone else lol

My wife says I spend too long in there anyway, without taking a book with me.

Most books cost more then DVD's. At least the better ones do.

I think both have their place.

Whilst a book will often contain more, not all of it will neccessarily be new to you. I think I currently have five different tomes containing a description of a french drop (Paul Zenon's Street Magic, Greg Wilson's Complete course, Bobo's complete Coin Magic, Now you see it, Now you don't by Bill Tarr, Edward Sach's Sleight of hand... there might be another) and there are probably other things I have doubled up too. It's not all about more bang for your buck (or book) though; most books (especially classic texts) will contain things which are perhaps less popular in current magic trends, and since DVDs are all about catching the trend there are things in my books which I'm almost certain aren't on DVDs. I'd like to think that some of the really good stuff in books is kept out of DVDs by choice simply to keep it from the hoy palloy of young Blaine-alikes (or are they Dynamo alikes now?).

That said, DVDs can give a a more detailed depiction of a tricky sleight. I've had a shocking time with the illustrations in some books, and even photos or well drawn illustrations can sometimes miss out the crucial aspect of timing. Additionally if there's a stance which helps to hide a move or provide misdirection. If you think about it in terms of production cost, a full page illustration in a book is a more epxensive addition than a two second pose in a DVD. On videos if there's some piece of advice or a stance the instructor can give they usually won't think twice about taking a moment out to show it, whereas they probably have to make some fairly touigh decisions regarding what to include in books.
The downside to DVDs is that where as a set of books will set you up with the tools to generate new ideasand routines, DVDs by their very nature seem to induce mimicry, and will often present ideas which frankly it's hard to develop beyond the given routines. Or maybe I'm just not imaginative enough.

If you said :"If you could only use books OR DVDs, which would you choose and which would you give up?"
I'd probably yell "No!" and push you in a river.

Because I'm like that.

-Stacy

But what happens if I swim out of the river and proscute you for atempted death?