I just read the look before you leap thread. It was quite good and I learned a lot from it. The thread was geared towards tricks.

Do you think it is unwise to invest in books, even if you may not utilize much from them? Can one know too much about different effects before being ready to perform them?

This is not meant to be a what are the best books thread. A search turns up tons of book references and I have already started my own prioritized list.

It is unwise not to invest in books. Books unlike DVDs really get your initiative working and reading is a lot of fun.
You can never know too much about an effect but you learn better by performing something you have practised than by just sitting in your room thinking about it.

Books are arguably the best investment you can make as a magician. I pick up books wherever I find them. Althought I may not use much out of them, I have learned something from every one I own. And I don't have to worry about them being demagnetized like tapes or scratched like dvds. Books, tapes and dvds are valuable tools that should be used in harmony with each other.

I prefer buying books to learn

I used to find myself buying books just for the sake of buying them.

I was that desperate to have enough literature to cover every single card move. I eventually had to control myself and start actually studying the books I already had. I found that the first three books I bought would have provided me with years worth of material.

Once you decide on the type of magic you want to perform, be selective and buy books that contain the necessary elements for that type of performance. If your doing stage and silks are an element then learn what you can about them. If anything, books will give you ideas that you can piece together and make routines of your own. Some books you will not like and others you will find a place in your library for future reference.

"Can one know too much about different effects before being ready to perform them?"

Not exactly sure what you mean here but...It's good to try different methods for effects. Eventually you should find methods that work best for you. There's no reason why you can't start performing after you've mastered a method for the effect. This may be the first method you learned. You may find other, possibly better methods, as your performance evolves. One should know the effects they are to perform inside out.

Hope this helps.

You know, I can relate. Same thing happened to me too. When I looked through magic books, I felt that I needed to by them all because I never knew what I might need. After buying the fourth or fifth book, I started running out of money. From there on, I actually read the stuff I bought. And you know what? Out of the five magic books I have, two of them give me everything I want and more. Oh well.

Sol

I still find books the best learning tool. You can't have a DVD on as easily whilst practising!

It is the old "book vs visual learning" debate that we are regressing into here. Obviously this comes down to personal preference.

In answer to the origional question I would say, don't purchase books about specific effects unless you are in a position to learn and ultimately perform them.

Seems like a waste of money to purchase a book and say "oh I might find a use for this one day"

I have learned only to buy books that I will actively learn from at this moment in time.

One of the biggest hurdles facing the new magician is how to become creative. Most tend to imitate what they see. This is most prevalent when a magician only wants to learn from DVD's. While they can provide a fantastic source of material, the danger to the new magi is in copying the style as well as the material and not focusing on developping their own personality and skills. Moreover, older (hopefully wiser?) magicians will tell you that books help to develop creativity...you've got to read between the lines, imagine the moves and effects, add your own patter when necessary and create an act out of a number of separate tricks.

So choose books wisely, revisit them with a creative eye, but don't take the easy way out by purchasing only DVD's. There's no fast way to master any art!