Can Guitar Learning Books Teach You To Play?

How often has that question been asked? Can guitar learning books teach you to play? It's an impossible question to answer, really, because while guitar books can help a lot of people to play the guitar, a few seem to learn fine without them. They just 'pick it up' and play by ear, and while that is fine for them, keep in mind that just as many pick up bad habits that prevent them from playing to their best potential.