Reddit mentions of 30 Essential Typefaces for A Lifetime

Here's a few I like:

• Stop Stealing Sheep & Find Out How Type Works
  
• The Elements of Typographic Style
  
• Designing Brand Identity
  
• Draplin Design: Pretty Much everything
  
• Making and Breaking the Grid
  
• Graphic Artists Guild Handbook
  
• 30 Essential Typefaces for a Lifetime

The history of graphic design by Meggs:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0471699020

Design basics:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0534625592

30 Typefaces:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1592532780

If you plan on using Adobe software, the classroom in a book series by them is good.

A color theory book would be good too.

I will post some of my favorite books in a second for you as soon as my computer gets turned on. :)

Here are a couple of my favorites from my school "Hey, I actually like these.. I'm going to purchase them!" collection.

General Graphic Design:

Graphic Design: The New Basics

This publication does a great job of showing "relationships between formal elements of two-dimensional design such as point, line, plane, scale, hierarchy, layers, and transparency." If you are looking for a general overview on a lot of subjects within graphic design I think this is a great way to upgrade your vocabulary and general knowledge about graphic design.


Graphic Design Theory: Readings from the Field

I feel like this book really can help you improve your vocabulary and general knowledge of the graphic design world offering "primary texts from the most important historical and contemporary designthinkers." It's also nice that it offers a bit of history too, analyzing the early 1900s through today.


Making and Breaking the Grid: A Graphic Design Layout Workshop

Great. Absolutely great publication for all designers showing effective use of the grid system and how to layout your compositions. "Effective layout is essential to communication and enables the end user to not only be drawn in with an innovative design but to digest information easily."


Typography: <3

30 Essential Typefaces for a Lifetime

I loooooove this book. It gives a bit of history and usage examples of 30 amazing typefaces you should know and love.


Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, and Students

Another great typography book. This publication was one of my favorites because, at the end of the day, I'm a visual person and this book has SO many visual examples to compliment it's copy it's beautiful. "This revised edition includes ... the latest information on style sheets for print and the web, the use of ornaments and captions, lining and non-lining numerals, the use of small caps and enlarged capitals, as well as information on captions, font licensing, mixing typefaces, and hand lettering."


Typographic Systems of Design

This is a very good resource for learning, as the title states, typographic systems. It "explores eight major structural frameworks beyond the gridincluding random, radial, modular, and bilateralsystems." Overall, I feel like this book helped me to improve my positioning and creative use of type in designs.

If you do have a passing interest, an excellent place to find out a little more would be 30 Typefaces for a Lifetime.

I'm sure you could find it in, or get it ordered into most libraries.

For each typeface it explains a little bit of history, places it is best used, and shows a variety of example designs.

Plus they really are some of the most reliable, solid choices (though note: they are 'plain' serifs and sans serifs - unlike the OPs choice of crazy display faces)