What's the best book for a new builder?
 

I am looking to put together my first bike. I have a Paramount frame and a few parts (headset, bottom bracket, stem, handlebars) and am slowly buying the rest off ebay. I'd like to try and assemble it myself. Can anyone recommend a good bicycle book that might serve as a guide for assembling vintage lightweights with campy parts?

Your basic guides, like Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenence, should do the trick. It covers most everything on an older bike, as well as newer ones. Some tasks, like pressing in a headset, can be accomplished without the expensive tools suggested in the book.

Period wise, Eugene Sloane's Complete book of Bicycling is good. A bit dense on the prose side and somewhat hard for the lies of me to read, but good. And the earlier editions of Richard's Bicycle book, which can be found cheaply in second hand book stores, I've always found to be good for trouble-shooting. A 1973 edition of this was my first repair manual, so I'm partial to it.

You can also use Barnett's manual, which is considered the ultimate amoung bike repair books, but it's expensive and very mechanic oriented. A copy of this is placed on the Bicycle Mechanics board, I believe.

Have fun on your first build up. It will require patience and a sense of humour, and you'll likely have a few frustrating moments, but you'll learn a lot.

Thanks for the suggestions. My biggest worry is how to do it all in my New York apartment, but I think it will be fun.

We spent years building and swapping bikes/parts in our dorm rooms...you'll have plenty of room in your apt.

Yeah, you're fine in the apartment, unless it's smaller than a closet. Really, have fun, take it easy, don't give yourself a definite due date, just do it at a nice, patient, pace. You will be fine. If an idiot like me can build up a bike, anyone can.