For "How to" books, these are what I have and I highly recommend them:
Modeling Tanks and Military Vehicles by Shepard Paine
How to Build Dioramas- by Shepard Paine
How to Photograph Scale Models by Shepard Piane and Lane Stewart
Building Plastic Models- Kalmbach
How to Build Plastic Aircraft Models-Roscoe Creed
Hints and Tips for Plastic Modeling- Kalmbach -This one contains 200+ reader tips, techniques, and tricks from FSM
Shep Paine is probably the best-known modeler in the world and his work is the reason many of us got started... His books are what I'd call a bare minimum for a beginner, and even though I've been modeling for 40 years, I still use his books for ideas and inspiration.