Mel Bay was a St. Louis guitarist who founded a publishing company in 1947. Mel Bay has sold around 25 million copies of its books. The company's system adopts the traditional method of teaching guitar. It begins with the individual notes on each string, beginning with the first three frets. The beginning guitarist learns to read the musical notation as well as play the corresponding note on the guitar. This approach gives the beginner a strong theoretical foundation. Playing simple melodies also helps to develop ear training. Mel Bay's Guitar Method is divided into five volumes, which increase in complexity, and each book comes with a CD.
The fast track approach is for beginners who are not interested in wading through music theory and notation. The majority of books for beginning guitarists are dedicated to this method. It allows the beginner to play basic chords relatively quickly. The most effective books have diagrams and illustrations of basic chords (major, minor and dominant seventh), basic strumming and finger picking patterns, and the basic information needed to play folk, blues, and rock and roll. You will find a lot of books that meet these criteria. Two of the most popular are "The First Stage Guitar Book: Learn and to Play Guitar Easily and Quickly" by Chris Cooper and "Guitar for Dummies." The former is spiral bound and comes with a CD.
Serious students should look for books that emphasize music reading skills, the fundamentals of music theory, all four chord groups and scale exercises. The Hal Leonard Method is a popular three-book series. Its methods are based on years of teaching experience. It is designed for both electric and acoustic guitar. It is spiral bound and comes with a CD.
A popular book for a beginning classical guitarist is Aaron Shearer's two-volume "Classical Guitar Technique," which includes a CD. A standard book for the beginning jazz guitarist is Mickey Baker's "Complete Course in Jazz Guitar: A Modern Method in How to Play Jazz and Hot Guitar." This is a short and concise book that teaches the fundamentals of jazz chords and improvisation. It does presuppose a prior acquaintance with guitar fundamentals, such as the ability to play chords, scales and sight reading.