Start out simple. Use liquid chemistry such as the Ilford products. What ever you use start with one developer and use it untill you understand how it works with the film you shoot. Same goes for printing paper. I would recommend ilford's multigrade IV RC deluxe. It washes and dries rapidly and is relatively inexpensive compared to VC fiber papers. As with your chemistry, stick with one paper for a while and explore its potential. Check the prices at your local supplier and compare them to B&H or Adorama either on the net or in Shutterbug ads. You may find a substantial cost savings with these suppliers.(posted 8392 days ago)As far as chemical use,I agree with previous posts. One shot your film developer and stop bath, save fixer for reuse recommended by the manufacturer. I usually one shot my fixer for film and then save and test for use as a first of two fixes for prints. For prints I sometimes have short printing sessions so I will save my developer in a dedicated bottle and retest for maximum black when I reuse. i don't recommending keeping the developer in a tray unless it can be tightly sealed. Exposure to air for a few hours will cause oxidation and the developer will go bad. Stop bath is inexpensive and I would discard but save your fix if not exhausted.
As far as books go,I learned the basics from a text book in college, PHOTOGRAPHY by Barbara and John Upton (Little, Brown), and the DARKROOM HANDBOOK by Michael Langford (Knopf). The Upton book is an excellent all around source on photography with very clear and concise sections on developing and printing. But you may get dozens of different answers to the book question from folks on this site and I would consider any of them as excellent choices.