Can you learn martial arts from books and videos? A reply (and thanks) to Skallagrim.

Skallagrim recently made a video on the topic of martial arts books and videos, and whether it was possible to learn from them. It's a subject I've seen and discussed several times in the pasts, and because of things I've learned about the history of martial arts, I find it an interesting topic. So I decided to throw in my two cents. Believe it or not, the subject on the value of martial arts reference materials is a lot older than people may think.
For those new to the channel who have come along thanks to Skallagrim, here are a couple of other videos of mine you may find interesting:
Some sword basics: • Some sword basics on m...
Guiding the blade away: • Chinese sword arts: gu...
A little bit of sparring: • Sword sparring: Me and...
Here are the books I happened to have mentioned:
Shaolin Long Fist,
Yang Jwing-Ming and Jeffrey Bolt
The Complete Jian Shu
Chinese Combat Sword for Sport,
Jason Tsou and Arthur Schonfeld
For those inclined to help support the channel: / swordsage