Thoughts on thses books. I'm considering buying Volume 1. but would also like to know what tricks/effects the other books contain including Volume 1. D,

I can't do a table of contents right now but good books, and good history. If you are an idea person who likes to invent and create your own stuff, then you need to know the basics and your history. This is a good resource for same.

If you want the instruction sheets for virtually every Thayer effect created, then these books are for you. Since you don't necessarily have the prop that goes with the instruction sheets, you may not be able to fully understand the workings of certain effects but you will get the general idea.