While you didn't ask me directly I will give you my personal belief. If you could have just one book I would suggest Scotts U.S. Specialized Catalog. Of course, a lot will depend if you want to collect U.S. in general or concentrate in a certain category, say First Day Covers, etc. Then another book might be better.
and Cactus has good advice..... an older, used, cheap Scott catalogue, preferably the US Specialized, would be a great start IF you're planning to collect US. It will be a good guide to identifying and talking about US stamps, and will let you begin to organize your stamps.
If you're collecting something else, tell us.
I just saw someone offering an entire 2009 Scott catalogue series (7 volumes, inc the specialized) for free (you'd pay postage, and likely get some high-value used stamps in the bargain). Maybe they still have it
David
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"Save the USPS, buy stamps; save the hobby, use commemoratives"
Depending on your collecting interests (how specialized), you could consider Brookman's guide. It has listing for any stamp you will likely collect and available in spiral bound form so easy to use and less expensive than a Scott catalogue. You may never look at 2/3s of Scott.
If you want to see Scott values (most referenced by dealers) then obviously Scott only provides that. I have both.
Brookman puts their catalog online in sections for free.
I will second the Scott's USA Specialized Catalog. It is costly new, but if you go on eBay or Amazon you can pickup one that's a few years old for cheap! The content is good and the values haven't changed much if at all!
Another catalog I like is the H.E. Harris US/ BNA (British North America - Canada) which can be found at Hobby Lobby. It's around $15 or less if you use their perpetual 40% off coupon, found on their website. They'll have either this year's or one that's a year old, either is fine. What I like about this one is that it's good for a beginner because it has a color photo of each and every stamp, and it's a spiral bound format that will lay flat.
Both catalogs use the Scott numbering system that 99% of US collectors use for reference.
Welcome, enjoy, I hope this helps!
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