While the books are wonderful, I'd have to second Mark's reccomendation of links first. Also- google and the search function are your friends. You'll learn TONS from the free material that is online, and from the question asked by others on these boards.
As far as books go, it depends on what you're after. The $50 Knife Shop provides a bit on both forging and stock removal. The Wonder of Knifemaking and How to Make Knives are both good aswell.