I taught myself photography and retouching the year before moving to Los Angeles. I highly recommend RetouchPro.com as a great source to learn technique and experimentation. Here are the books that I recommend that I’ve purchased:

Restoration & Retouching; Masking & Composition by Professor Katrin Eismann. ISBN: 0321316274; 0735712794.

Photoshop LAB Color by Mr. Dan Margulis. ISBN: 0321356780.

Professional Photoshop: The Classic Guide to Color Correction. 5th ed. by Mr. Dan Margulis. ISBN: 032144017X.

Photoshop Channel CHOPS by David Biedny, et. al. ISBN: 1562057235.

Reading these books will not turn you into an overnight retoucher. These books contained valuable insights and information and it is up to the reader to apply and interpret them. When I first started teaching myself, I tapped into my sleep hours practicing and following along. My affinity towards the experimental curiosity kept me going. I was experimenting with photoshop techniques. You have to be passionate, self-motivated, and driven with discipline when trying to teach yourself. I was driven by my photography and retouching ambitions because of the wisdom given to me by Mr. Sean Armenta, “Your passion for something will naturally drive you to learn all that you can about that something, whether it be photography, snowboarding, knitting, whatever. You will automatically seek out knowledge about what it is you are most passionate about.”

You can read my review of Prof. Eismann’s Restoration & Retouching. 3rd ed. on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Photoshop-Restoration-Retouching-Voices-Matter/product-reviews/0321316274/ref=cm_cr_dp_synop?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending#R2XDUBGNHD7BYJ.