Another author I would had with a very fun and get you very fast drawing : Loomis, especially "Fun with a pencil", that can be fun (as the Preston Blair book btw), free online. Both are very good books for beginners (and a good refresher for more advanced drawing).
I would stay away from Vilppu if I was a beginner — it's not that fun, and Drawing On the Right Side is very nice to "get" how to draw from reality. But I think those books (and the two others) should come way after !
Older book, like "The Practice and Science of Drawing" can be educating to read, but clearly not as first or second books, more to learn how drawing had been teached, and find things that show you more rigor (in an academic way).
I would stay away from Vilppu if I was a beginner — it's not that fun, and Drawing On the Right Side is very nice to "get" how to draw from reality. But I think those books (and the two others) should come way after !
Older book, like "The Practice and Science of Drawing" can be educating to read, but clearly not as first or second books, more to learn how drawing had been teached, and find things that show you more rigor (in an academic way).