Put all the books on a bonfire (which you can ignite with the useless manuals from as many versions of Bryce as you can get hold of (I've got 3; each successively less useful/informative than the previous version), and use the forums here and at 3D Commune instead for (FREE!) advice and guidance, both general and specific, from people all over the world who will fall over themselves to offer advice and who are not out to make a quick buck/pound.  Look at the pictures you admire most and work out how you can re-create them.  Also resign yourself to the fact that ALL your spare time will be spent with Bryce - you will become your own best tutor/worst critic; that's the beauty/curse of Bryce. 

Bryce was born with the Internet, and there is an absolute wealth of infomation/communities/forums out there which offer a rock-solid alternative to parting with your hard-earned cash.

My self-build system - Vista 64 on a Kingston 240GB SSD, Asus P5Q Pro MB, Quad 6600 CPU, 8 Gb Geil Black Dragon Ram, CoolerMaster HAF932 full tower chassis, EVGA Geforce GTX 750Ti Superclocked 2 Gb, Coolermaster V8 CPU aircooler, Enermax 600W Modular PSU, 240Gb SSD, 2Tb HDD storage, 28" LCD monitor, and more red LEDs than a grown man really needs.....I built it in 2008 and can't afford a new one, yet.....!

My Software - Poser Pro 2012, Photoshop, Bryce 6 and Borderlands......"Catch a  r--i---d-----e-----!"