(URGENT!) Which How to Draw manga guide book to buy?
 

I hope somebody can answer this question in 8 hours since i'm on limited time from where i am.
Okay. Long story short. Found these 4 how to draw manga guide books while vacationing. Can only buy one and time staying there is limited as i'm going back to the airport soon.

Art of Drawing Manga
by Sergi Camara & Vanessa Duran

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Drawing Manga Illustrated, 2nd Edition
by John Layman & David Hutchison

Manga For Dummies
by Kensuke Okabayashi

50 Manga Babes to Draw and Paint
by Chi Hang Li

Which is the best how to draw manga guide book for me?
Tip: I want one that can teach me all of the basics of manga drawing yet i also want to improve my drawings of female characters.

I hope that you guys give me an answer quickly. Thanks.

the first choice seems the best. I never really liked the "idiot's guides" or "for dummies" books for some reason, and the last pick seems too... specialized, unless that's all you want to draw.

Maybe you won't like my reply.. But I wouldn't recommend any of those books. Try drawing manga/anime using images or wallpapers of series. While trying you will get better. Start with easy ones like for example.. Chi of Chobits. Later on you can try more complex characters like Claymore. Try different mangaka and like that different styles to form your own one. Those guides will give you patterns how to work and with what to begin. Usually it starts with the face. I always start with the eyes because only like that the face will turn out as I want it to. You'll have to form your own concept. One that will fit and not one some guide is telling you. And you can keep your money ^^ Also by finding out what mistakes you do here and there you'll correct them. But because you see it yourself instead of reading it in a book you'll memorize it for sure.

The problem that I find with those books is that they provide archetypes and tell how how to draw those or provide examples and demonstrations for drawing certain parts, but leave you on your own with trying to create things from your mind. You learn how to draw by numbers, but you don't learn basic things such as the human frame [which is important with drawing anything person-like] or body scale. In my opinion, they assume you have basic knowledge on human anatomy, or just skip it altogether.

What I'd suggest is getting a book on drawing a regular person, and then modifying what you learn to create an anime style. It's more productive and you'll end up much more flexible with the characters you can draw as a result.

Yeah, learning by example, like what Alice Elliot suggested, helps as well.

ON TOPIC: I agree with LeoXiao. The "For Dummies" one is crap unless they completely overhauled it from the one I [foolishly] bought or you have a good foundation in art already.