This article is from the Rec.music.makers.bass FAQ, by Kalle Kivimaa Kalle.Kivimaa@hut.fi with numerous contributions by others.
There are lots of books on introductry bass playing, and there
aren't all that many differences between them. There is a six-book
series written by Dan Dean called "Electric Bass" (the last three
books are also known as "The Studio Bassist") which presents a
comprehensive approach to learning the bass. There is a series of
books by Chuck Rainey which also present a comprehensive bass
playing method: the first book is an excellent introduction to the
bass while the other books cover advanced topics in bass playing.
Carole Kaye has also written a six-book series on bass playing
which many people recommend highly.
There is also a book called "Electric Bass Guitar" which is a
compilation of old bass columns from Guitar Player magazine
(before BP existed [gasp]) which is definitive if a little
eclectic.
Somewhat more advanced books which a lot of people find useful
include "Modern Electric Bass" by Jaco Pastorius and "Electric
Bass" by John Patitucci. A good book on bass harmonics is
"Harmonics for Electric Bass" by Adam Novick.
These are only a few of the many books on bass playing that are
available for beginning and advanced bassists. Most music stores
carry a selection of instruction books and you should be able to
find something that will work well for you without too much
effort.
 
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