JD750 wrote:
Yes because you will learn so much more from bling. ;)
But if cost is a concern then mighty I suggest another option is to read the owners manual, cover to cover, with the camera nearby, and pick up the camera and go through all the options as you are reading. That is an excellent way of learning the camera and it doesn’t cost $30.
But it looks like you will get some good comments here on your question, so you can decide which book to buy.
Though Nikon's manuals are better than some of their competition they tend to be cumbersome and give just a bare bones explanation---which is fine is some cases. They tend to stress the "how to's" rather than the "whys". So a single, legitimately helpful book is preferred rather than adding volumes to an already overloaded library of photo and photo editing publications. I have bookshelves that have been pleading for mercy for years.
The information posted so far has been very helpful and I appreciate all of the input from everyone.