I am not against books and I am not against DVDs. I am just wondering which you guys like better, for those that have both.

I am only getting the book/DVD for a handful of effects that I know are in each, so quantity isn't a big deal. However, I have owned some videos in the past that say, "For a more detailed description refer to page XXX in the author's book". And that is in a stand-alone DVD, not a companion one.

So anyway, I am leaning towards the DVD because I think timing and personality come through better, and because I have never seen Jenning on video (or live) before.

Any thoughts? Are there more tips/techniques on the DVD or book? Which is better?

Get the book man!!! If you have to get only one, then the book is the obvious choice. You are not missing much in the DVD. The DVD is a supplement of the book, not vice versa. Plus, the scope of the book is so much larger. You will miss out on TONS of details and routines if you only get the DVD.

I agree with cardguy, I'm a book lover myself and use DVDs as a supplement. Sometimes it's fun to see the creators perform their own effects but I definitely think that books are superior to DVD.

Peo

This is one of my favorite books. By all means get the book! It's great.

Mike

I'll add another vote for the book.

Bruce

If you can afford it, why not both?

I can't afford it.

Anyway I will get the book, just wanted to see Jennings perform, heh.

The book really is one of the classics in card magic. On thorough reading and study you will "know" Larry Jennings and his style. So I am sure you will not be missing out by not buying the DVD.

Regards
David

Get the book, if you have to have this material in one form or another - LJ doesn't come across very well as a performer, anyway. The tapes of Larry are all from his later days, when he was not performing much at all, so his timing, rapport with the audience, delivery, etc., is nothing like it was when he was younger. You won't get a true picture of LJ from any of the footage I've seen available commercially, and you want to learn the effects so that you can do them in your own style anyway, so go for the book and interpret the material so that it fits your performing style. Most of the material is well enough written that you can learn it from the book.

Best, PSC

Definitely the book!

Cheers!

The book definitely gets my vote !!

Enjoy !!

Another vote for the book.

A book just can encompass far more material and ideas than can ever be put on a DVD; and this book in particular is an absolute monster of magic.

Also with a book you have to think more about the move while learning it. While this will take longer than being able to see the move on DVD it will be useful in the long run because you begin to develop your own handling rather than someone elses.

There's tons of top quality magic in this book. With most books, I usually only find 3 or 4 tricks that I like. This book had about 30 that I liked. So I think you would miss out on a lot if you just got the dvd.

The book is great. I have both and I use the book a lot more than the vid.

We really are having that age old debate on what the best learning medium is in magic, and it is not an easy question .
On the likes of what I term as 'heavy' card handlers ,such as Larry Jennings, I feel the written word is so much more suitable for serious study and analysis. Coupled with the fact, that I believe the description and reasoning for any routine can be written in a much more meaningful manner ,than verbally explained.Think how it would be if you stood in front of a camera and attempted to convey the nuances and fine points of some of Mr Jennings' routines, which are so much easier to understand and follow when written.
Nonetheless, there is definitely a place for DVD.But I think that is were we have to be a little more discerning in our purchases.
The extremely entertaining and more commercial performers , I feel are much more suited to DVD.( I am not inferring that Larry Jennings and the like are not as entertaining , so please do not be misled by the terms I use ).
Tom Mullica, Don Allan, etc.I feel have to be seen and heard to capture the feel of their particular magic .Their work requires as much study and analysis as Mr Jennings but the visual medium seems in my mind to be more suitable for them .
(It will be fascinating to see a book on Bill Malone with regard to this , as I feel his style is so visible , it will be hard for the written word to convey his particular brand of magic.
I believe Lance Pierce is writing a book on Bill Malone , he of all people I am sure will make a wonderful job of it ).
Sorry for rambling , but as few of us can afford to purchase every book/dvd that appeals to us I feel it is worthwhile to make a considered choice.

Regards

David

I met Larry Jennings in 1989 and let me state that the time I spent with him really brought his material to life.
His big book was published in 1986, and in the three year prior to meeting him, I studied his book with a relentless enthusiasm. I felt I knew what made Larry tick and inspired his card magic. All of this before the days of DVD's. Meeting him was one of the great moments in my life.

I have always supported the studying of books against videos and now DVD's and my feelings haven't changed.

I meet many magicians who find it difficult learning from books, be that as it may. If DVD's are the only
way for them to learn so be it.

Like in the film Star Wars, perhaps we should return to a time when there was only two, a Master and an apprentice, no more, no less.

Mike Vincent

Ok, as this has shifted into a books vs. video's debate, lemme play devil's advocate:


While I enjoy books more than DVD's, do you really feel that you can learn a trick better from a book than a dvd?


I mean, ultimatly, an effect comes down to the technique, skill, and personality of the performer.


If I was just wanting to learn a handful of routines, do you think that if I learnt them from a book it would make the trick better than if I had learnt it from a video?

While I do value Books a bunch, mostly for their sheer amount of material, I also recognize that in the end, it probably won't make a different, if the DVD is presented in a good and complete way.

In fact, sometimes if you really study the DVD, you can often pick up on handling things that aren't mentioned in the book, slight things about how a deck is held or the general body position for a move. While books might provice a more detailed explanation, usually there is a lot more info given by just watching a performer on video.


Anyway... Something else came up and ate my magic budget up so I'll be waiting on that book for awhile, heh.

To answer the first question, in agreement with most everyone else here, get the book. Although Mike Maxwell did a mediocre job writing it, it is filled with superb material.

When your budget allws, if you can get your hands on the two volumes Jennings did for Mayette Magie Moderne in Paris, get those. They're Jennings before a live audience and he's in top form.

As to the old books vs. videos debate, I'll just echo what John Carney has said -- with videos you run the risk of becoming a carbon copy of the performer, something to be avoided like the plague. With books there is much more room for the author to point out what is important, and for the reader to linger over points worthy of consideration and make his own determination about presentation.

Having said that, some of my favorite videos are those I own by Slydini, Del Ray, Mike Rogers, Don Alan, Harry Blackstone, Sr. and Tommy Cooper. Lennart Green falls into this category as well -- ideosynchratic, wonderful performers whom I could watch all day without having a single trick explained. There are more in this category, but you get the idea.

Matt Field

I don't have either of them but I find it easier to learn from dvds and videos than to learn from books.

In a word? Yes!
For a very simple reason. The learning proceess itself is different when learning by watching a video versus when reading a book. Learning from a book is HARDER. That's because it requires active concentration to understand how things work.

And there's another thing... on a video the creator of the effect points his hands at the camera and says "do this". In a book someone, usually NOT the creator, has to find a way to describe IN DETAIL how something he did not create works. That means he has to ask questions and fully understand how it works, and how it has to be communicated or he wouldn't be able to understand the trick well enough to describe it.

I have almost ten feet of magic videos on the shelf. Not one of them does a better job of teaching how the tricks work than their paper counterpart.