As you don't yet have a project in mind, I suggest the first thing to do is get at least a vague idea. Getting a kit is probably a mistake as it is a sure way of buying stuff you don't want, and you are better off paying for stuff you do want. The best way of getting a kit is when somebody who has no idea of what you need gives you one for your birthday.
Getting a paper library is probably also a mistake and anybody in the game can point to a swag of books that have only been opened once. They all cost $50 and go out of date when the ink dries. The internet is more up-to-date and involves fewer trees.
There isn't much point in hacking an LCD when you can get one for $1 that doesn't need hacking.
Some versions of Arduino, particularly the little ones, are probably best used as modules incorporated into your own board. The standard Uno is a "development board" and the microprocessor can be removed and put into your board after the "development" is done, and yes, you can afford to make a mistake. I don't see the point in trying to copy the circuits, the information is already in the public domain and is almost certainly not going to be what you want anyway.
Arduino voluntarily put their design into the public domain. There is no reason to believe there is any difference between an original and a clone unless it is immediately obvious by casually looking at it. While the Italians have a reputation for design, they don't really have a great reputation for manufacture, and a clone could actually be superior as well as cheaper. The vital components in a kosher Arduino very likely come from South Asia.
I submit the article you quoted in your last has about the same value as the one you quoted in the first, and you shouldn't worry about that sort of stuff.
bomberdoom:
I do not have any one project in mind. I found many books on Amazon.
In terms of a shopping list I am thinking of starting with an electronics kit, and then adding on the board/s and the LCD. I can not hack an LCD, and I was wondering if anyone has tried and how difficult it is.
I had another question, concerning the Arduino boards. I was wondering what kind of knowledge base and experience and skill would be required to make the boards yourself. Electronics/engineering over two years usually leads to a diploma, while three years leads to a degree, with some kind of project work being carried out in the fourth year.
What I'm asking is what level of technical knowledge and unerstanding is needed to copy from the diagrams (schematics?)
Is there any real difference between thee clones and the (original) Arduino boards?
Also, I had read this article, Why do you hate the Arduino? – Dangerous Prototypes , which assumes every person to be an electronics engineer.
