Most good sewing machines can't be messed up by beginners. As far as a handbook, there is a lot to be learned from inspecting clothing and seeing how the cloth is put together.
No one ever taught me how to sew, Blabs, so I have had to go by the skin of my teeth. Fairly simple.
I mentioned owning an old Singer. Those are very simple if you can find one that works. Most of the stereotypical black cast-iron models can be repaired by a competent technician, and the parts are still manufactured so the local vacuum-cleaner store can likely help you.
The bad thing is they only are good for straight stitching and for whatever attachment you have on them. Straight stitching (lockstitch) works for most needs but you won't have a serger. So get used to using a needle & thread also.
Oh, and get an electric one. Seriously. They made hand-cranked ones for a time but I have both hands busy when I am sewing on my electric so there would be a conflict of interests were I stuck cranking it at the same time. Treadle machines are cool (and eco friendly) but they run on a leather drive belt so that might not work with your vegan lifestyle. (The early electrics used a rubber belt or a cloth V-belt on a pulley.)
If you got a modern machine, go whole hog & get the new Singer heavy duty. My mother has that one. It's a beast. Most new Singers are absolute junk, I'm sorry to say, but that particular model is still worth using.
It has ALL the stitches and no computers in it to go bad--it's all mechanical except a gear-driven electric motor embedded in the base. So no belt to go bad either, and no carbon brushes on the motor to maintain. Also, the foot-pedal is a little simpler than the early steel-and-Bakelite "motor controllers" so that's nice.
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Your neurodiverse (Aspie) score: 134 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 72 of 200
You are very likely neurodiverse (Aspie)