OUCH!... That's a hard one. All of those questions depend on how proficient you already are, and which version you have... Some people are better at learning from tech manuals, while others do better with  "lead-you-through-it" material. As for books and tutorials for texturing... we have all kinds of stuff, right here at Rendo. Have a look under the tutorials drop-down at the top of the page. Lou.

"..... and that was when things got interestiing."