I would highly recommend
Photoshop CS2 Wow!
The “
Wow” series goes back to some of the earliest iterations of Photoshop and has always been a solid user reference.
CS2 Wow covers photo-professional techniques, retouching, case studies, work-flow and just about everything else.
http://www.amazon.com/Photoshop-CS2-Wow-Book-WOW/dp/0321213459/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217902892&sr=8-1
Another excellent read is
Professional Photoshop. This book is aimed a professional photo grading and color theory, it’s a tough read. It’s not a “
how to” and would not appeal to someone just starting with Photoshop. Nevertheless, it’s an excellent resource.
http://www.amazon.com/Professional-Photoshop-Classic-Guide-Correction/dp/032144017X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217903285&sr=1-1
How to Cheat at Photoshop has also been around a while. It’s not bad. This book mostly deals with surreal compositing techniques. There is also a fair amount of “from scratch” element design.
http://www.amazon.com/How-Cheat-Photoshop-CS3-photorealistic/dp/0240520629/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217903725&sr=1-1
If you’re looking for tutorials, I would check out Bert Monroy at Revsion3.com. He’s got a web TV show called
Pixel Perfect. The subject matter is all over the place, but you can learn quite a bit by watching him work.
http://revision3.com/pixelperfect/
And to answer your original question, I have never read
Photoshop CS3 Restoration and Retouching Bible.