Hi,
I agree with Jay. The Mastering Maya Series gives you a very good knowledge far beyond beginners level for a lot of aspects of Maya Works.
Since the changes between the years in Maya since 2011 are minor it is sufficient to go with the 2011 version. You may even find the "Introduction to Maya" helpful as well, esp if you have not started yet with lighting, texturing and rendering.
It helped me a lot to go step by step after the instruction along a project. Despite I still prefer the Videos as better option esp. with explanation of a tutor. But for the train between home an university you would need at least a pad ;-). Enjoy the study. The model looks great!