One of my friends bought one when she was starting out. It actually did help her, and she's a pretty good artist now. And thank god, her drawings look nothing like the author's.

Well that's good to hear. :) I suppose those books can in fact help aspiring artists, since most people will develop their own style as they improve, anyway. I briefly considered saying something about that in my previous comment, but... no. Your friend's story is... inspiring. X)