You don't have to waste money on books - even if you want books, you can check out downloads and read for free. But I'd suggest you read other users' comments and get the basic idea. Don't fall for people just saying "this one is good" or "that one doesn't work," because many new users and some old users want to grow post counts or they're just saying things like "Black hat SEO is dead" or "Now it's the AEO era, automation doesn't work."
This is my advice: let's say someone is offering PBN or niche edits. They might say tiered link building works or that automation link building doesn't work anymore. They keep saying that because it's not what they offer. Instead of reading books, I'd suggest you go through Black Hat SEO, Black Hat SEO Tools, or IM Journey subforums and read posts.
Also, don't skip outdated posts or threads from past years. Even though some threads are old, they're gold mines. As many have said, black hat, white hat, or gray (I really don't care about labels, lol) aren't changing strategically. Mostly the methods change - like how we generate content or anchor text ratios - but strategies are still almost the same.
Example: EMD plus tiered link building has been around for decades. The methods we use to automate and create them may change, so the strategy stays the same. Therefore, read old and new - don't be foolish and skip them by thinking they're outdated.