The Compete Idiot's Guide series covers quite a lot of topics by different authors. Some in the series are not too bad, but from what I've seen, they usually cover only the basics. While good as an introduction, there are better books available if you are more serious about the subject.
It's probably best to start with a standard 35mm digital SLR camera with interchangeable lenses. Then you can upgrade the lenses as you need them. As a beginner you can get pretty good shots with a tripod and a standard telephoto lens, depending on the subject.
There are a lot of good resources available on the web. Google will help you out here
Catching the Light is a good start.