Max comes in two flavors: 32-bit and 64-bit. What you choose really depends on what you want to do with Max, given that you have a 64-bit OS and therefore have a choice. A major advantage of the 32-bit version is that there are way many more externals (third-party Max objects) compiled for this version. In this book, we will make use of some externals that are not yet compatible with the 64-bit version, so I actually recommend that you go for the 32-bit one.
So, I guess you've installed Max and have tested it out, but as the first step, we actually need you to know where you can get help if you are stuck in any way. There are several places where you can get help.