Originally posted by RioRico I forgot to mention WHY the Time-Life LIBRARY OF PHOTOGRAPHY series, which were available cheap on eBay the last time I looked. They're pre-digital. They cover film, yes, but the principles of photography remain the same. They cover techniques. And they're beautiful, containing many masterpieces of camera work. Start with THE CAMERA and go on to the volumes on studio, travel, nature, children, art, great themes, documentary, photojournalism, etc. They're just a fantastic resource.
My aunt was a commercial photographer. When our family "went to the big city," to visit and all the adults were doing their boring talking, I found these books and eventually read through every last one of them as a young teen. They really inspired my interest in photography in the first place and within a couple years, I'd put together a darkroom that could be set up in the spare bathroom with a safelight screwing into the lamp socket and a plywood blackout screen I'd made for the window. Towels under the door and I was set.
It might be interesting to leaf through these again after all these years. Wonderful books!