If you've only got time to read one book, read this one: Why Children Can't Read: and what we can do about it. Diane McGuinness, with a foreword by Prof. Steven Pinker. Pub. Penguin. USA edition (in print) Why our children can't read and what we can do about it. Pub. Simon& Schuster. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diane_McGuinness

Early Reading Instruction: what science really tells us about how to teach reading. Diane McGuinness. MIT Press. Highly Recommended. Kindle edition available. This book is available for review on Google Books: http://books.google.com/books?id=geCphXcHm30C&printsec=frontcover&dq=Early+Reading+Instruction#PPP1,M1

Language Development and Learning to Read:The Scientific Study of How Language Development Affects Reading Skill. This is a complementary volume to Diane McGuinness's 'Early Reading Instruction': Highly Recommended. Kindle edition available.

Why Schoolchildren Can't Read. Bonnie Macmillan. Pub. IEA.
Highly Recommended. An academic, British book: essential reading if you're interested in what the research actually says about the best ways to teach reading and the present disparity between research and practice.
www.libertarian.co.uk/lapubs/educn/educn029.pdf
The harm done by 'look and say': a reaction to Bonnie Macmillan's book by Brian Micklethwaite.

http://www.rrf.org.uk/archive.php
Free online: UK Reading Reform Foundation newsletters.

Progress in Understanding Reading and Learning to Read: From Politics to Science. Stanovich. Guilford Press. This academic book summarizes the gains that have been made in key areas of reading research and provides authoritative insights on current controversies and debates.
www.nrrf.org/ivey_review_TCR.htm

Leaving Johnny Behind: Overcoming Barriers to Literacy and Reclaiming At-Risk Readers by Anthony Pedriana. Rowman & Littlefield Education. Kindle edition available.. 'In the tradition of Why Johnny Can't Read written by Rudolph Flesch in the 1950s, Leaving Johnny Behind provides a comprehensive examination of the barriers that deny children adequate literacy training..'

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/28176090/
Burkard: After the Literacy Hour- may the best plan win!

www.nrdc.org.uk/uploads/documents/doc_166.pdf
Free online: Developmental dyslexia in adults: a research review

Dyslexia: Literacy and psychological assessment
http://www.bpsshop.org.uk/Dyslexia-Literacy-and-Psychological-Assessment-P715.aspx
This BPS report ''was written primarily to inform practising educational psychologists about the concept of dyslexia. It also outlined principles of assessment that needed to be translated into policy and practice by psychological services and their local authorities''

http://dyslexics.org.uk/KerrCh8.pdf
Free online: Chapter 8, 'Dyslexia', from Hugo Kerr's book 'The cognitive psychology of teaching literacy'

Speech to Print: language essentials for teachers. Moats. Pub. Brookes. English Language study guide designed for educators and includes practice exercises with answers.

http://www.lulu.com/content/6810893
Sounds~Write's 'Spelling theory and a lexicon of English spellings'

Does Dyslexia Exist? by Julian Elliott and Simon Gibbs. Journal of Philosophy of Education. Volume 42 Issue 3-4. http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121657387/abstract A copy of this paper can be ordered through the library service.

www.phonicsinternational.com/guidance_book.pdf
Free online: Debbie Hepplewhite's Overview and Guidance booklet gives an outline of synthetic phonics principles in succinct form.

Teaching Synthetic Phonics. Johnston /Watson. Pub. Learning Matters. Definitive guide to teaching synthetic phonics, written by the researchers who carried out the famous Clackmannanshire study. The DCSF programme 'Letters and Sounds' is referred to thoughout this book. CAUTION: this book recommends the teaching of letter NAMES from the beginning.

http://www2.hull.ac.uk/science/psychology/our_staff/academics/rhona_johnston.aspx
If you scroll down on Rhona Johnston's webpage you'll find the following publications - provide your email address and they will be sent to your inbox:

- Johnston, R.S., Watson, J.E, and Logan S. Reading, spelling and attitudes to reading in England compared with Clackmannanshire.

- Johnston, R.S. An examination of C. Torgerson et al (2006) meta-analysis entitled: A Systematic Review of the Research Literature on the Use of Phonics in the Teaching of Reading and Spelling.

The Clackmannanshire study: A Seven Year Study of the Effects of Synthetic Phonics Teaching on Reading and Spelling Attainment. Johnston/Watson. 2005. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/02/20682/52383

Growing a reader from birth: your child's path from language to literacy. Diane McGuinness. Pub. Norton.
A guide to understanding a child's emerging language from first babblings to a five year old's mastery of reading.

Why Boys Are Different: And How to Bring Out the Best in Them. Dr. Bonnie Macmillan. Pub. Barron's. Researched based, easy to read, written for the parents of babies and young boys.1996.

Reading Fever: Why phonics must come first. Turner / Burkard. Pub. Centre for Policy Studies. http://www.cps.org.uk/

Download a free copy of Ted Hirsch's booklet 'Teaching Kids to Read'
http://www.coreknowledge.org/mimik/mimik_uploads/documents/397/TeachingKidstoRead.pdf

Older books and papers with historical evidence on teaching reading:

1985. Why Johnny STILL can't read: a new look at the scandal of our schools. Flesch. Pub. HarperCollins. Sequel to his earlier best seller -see below.

1965. In Spite of the Alphabet: a study of the teaching of reading. Hunter Diack. Pub. Chatto & Windus. Very interesting and readable guide to the history of the teaching of reading in the UK. Diack was joint author of the phonic 'Royal Road Readers' available in the 1960s.

1955. Why Johnny Can't Read: and what you can do about it. Flesch. Pub. HarperCollins.
The original 'Why' book. Kindle edition available.

1898. Nellie Dale’s Book ‘On the Teaching of English Reading’
www.archive.org/stream/onteachingofengl00daleuoft

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1350464
In the Days When Reading Instruction Was Not a Problem: Nellie Dale and the Dale Readers

1889. Rebecca Pollard's Manual of Synthetic Reading and Spelling
N.B. Pollard's method used diacritic markings, unlike modern synthetic phonics.
http://openlibrary.org/details/acompletemanual00pollgoog

1866. Reading without tears, or, A pleasant mode of learning to read by Favell Lee Mortimer. http://books.google.com/books?id=p5oNAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=reading%2Bwithout%2Btears&as_brr=1#v=onepage&q&f=false

http://venezky.stanford.edu/
Richard Venezkey's collection of historical American Primers and Readers

Old alphabet and spelling books from the Devon Collection of Children’s Books
http://www.flickr.com/photos/devonlibraries/sets/72157626041841773/detail/

www.donpotter.net/ed.htm
Free, phonic materials, many of historic interest.