All About Slide Rules Book (PDF)

[Benjer]

K&E's wood-based slide rules generally used mahogany, not bamboo. As far as I know there were no American manufacturers of bamboo slide rules. All the ones sold by American companies were imported from overseas. Frederick Post was the most notable of these and their Versalog is highly-regarded. It was imported from Hemmi in Japan. Pickett sold at least one such model called the B-1, imported from Ricoh/Relay in Japan.

Ricoh/Relay imported to possibly dozens of American companies such as Lafayette, Jason, Alvin, Scientific instruments Co, and others.

Mahogany and bamboo feel a little different during operation (and I believe the general consensus is that bamboo is superior) but after so many decades it's really going to depend on the condition of the slide rule you end up with. A mahogany slide rule stored in optimal conditions after several decades will feel much better than a poorly-treated bamboo model. This could be extended to plastic and metal models as well.

As rprosperi said, K&E models are common and generally affordable. K&E slide rules are not affordable because they are undesirable, it's just that so many were made. In their day, K&E models were well-regarded although perhaps not quite on the same level as as a Versalog.

Dietzgen made models similar in appearance and construction to K&E and some of them have all-metal cursors which are well-regarded. Some Dietzgen models also contained teflon inserts on the slides and of all the slide rules I've handled these are smoothest-running ones I've come across. The previously-mentioned Versalog and models made by Hemmi also look similar but use bamboo and generally cost more on auction sites.

K&E's Deci-Lon is probably the most "space-age" looking if that appeals to you. This model is considered the most advanced slide rule K&E ever sold and was in production into the 70s, possibly up to when K&E ceased slide rule manufacturing.

For intro books I think a search for slide rule manuals will turn up dozens of suitable results, perhaps including a manual for the very model you end up with. There's a website called the slide rule museum and they have PDFs of dozens of manuals and other slide rule literature. Two model-specific manuals that come to mind are those for the Deci-Lon and the Versalog. Both can be used for basically any scientific/engineering slide rule and also contain examples and practical applications. Both manuals are hardcover.