Best books about violas according to redditors

Someone transcribed the famous Carl Flesch Scale System for Viola.

this is kinda fun... originally from a set of pieces for viola, but this one doesn't go below G and its all in treble clef, so a number of my violin students have played it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFRM4NYTckc

https://www.amazon.com/Three-Pieces-Viola-Piano-Coletti/dp/0193866005

You can fiddle on the viola.

Violin and Viola - Menuhin and Primrose

Amazing wealth of knowledge from two of the finest string players of the 20th century, absolutely worth a read.

If you can read Treble Clef, Alto clef will be easy as pie. Started side by side on the violin(8 months) and viola(6 months) pretty much. The viola is my favorite but due to the lack of music I'll never drop the violin outright. You'll find a lot of viola books are just transposed to alto clef(which is literally one line down). Suzuki transposes it a 5th down so you are playing basically the same thing on the viola and violin but completely different. The string are the same and the finger position are the same but the notes are a 5th of a difference since the violin and viola are tuned different.

The viola is fucking massive. It takes a bit to get to comfortable and even after 6 month I still find myself moving things around to get it more comfortable. Stretching your hand for 4th fingers is gonna take a workout. Try as hard as you can to not have any tension in either hand. Without actually using the viola I don't have much of suggestion on how to do that but maybe watch some video on how to hold the bow and the viola.

When I didn't have an instructor I just practiced open strings to get the string level down. Also, pizzicato would be nice to start with if you don't want to start your bow hold.

It's hard to say what you should practice and maybe my advice is downright bad. Looking at music and understanding it will always be helpful so maybe just reading a beginning Viola book would be helpful. Also you can learn more about the viola through a non-music based book about string instruments. I am currently reading this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0486428532/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and it is very good. Some stuff will fly over your head but it's still worth it to learn about and ask yourself questions and what not.

Well, that one is almost certainly not very good wood, not properly dried for enough years and with top and bottom plates not properly carved. I bet it has shiny finish on the fingerboard which tells you it's painted, you can easily do triple stops because the bridge is so high (or you could double stop the A and G strings, heh). Further you could spend $400+ having everything redone (pegs fit, nut filed, strings ($100 for dominants, $35 for a minimally aceptable set like Preludes), fingerboard planed, bridge/soundpost, tailpiece) and it would be marginally playable.

Look around /r/viola, /r/violin, lots of people ask this same question adn the answers are always to get a teacher or serious player to at least demo an instrument in person if you have to buy, OR (better) rent.

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Also, unlike violin you have to be fitted for the instrument, unless you've already tried a 16". You're going to spend a lot of time in 1st position. This book is pretty good: http://www.amazon.com/Tipbook-Violin-Viola-Hugo-Pinksterboer/dp/1423442768,

there are probably good ones here, I haven't seen them but Strings magazine is top notch: http://store.allthingsstrings.com/collections/backstage-books/instrument-viola

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Also you have to get a viola bow, with a violin bow you have to shove it onto the C string with unnatural force. Also a decent case is $100.

$7/hr?! In most metro areas you'd pay $60. So much win!
EDIT: also get this book.