The Max Bible by Kelly Murdock is a great reference. it has a least a tiny paragraph on just about every single thing in Max. the online manuals Max ships with are great, too.
and pete's book. its awesome!
and, actually, I have an old book called Harnessing Max 5, and they're really good at describing things in a simple, easy to understand way. its not 100% comprehensive, tho, like the Bible.
those are my 3 favorites.
and for lighting, Nicholas Boughen (i think - probably spelled wrong) has a great lighting book for Max. the cover pic isn't super impressive, but the knowledge inside is great. if you're familiar with pete's book, then you'll know how important analyzing the real-world effect of what you want to do is. this lighting book is good at analyzing and explaining whats happening with light.
just my $.02.
