Mac,
You are opening a can of worms, one of the most interesting in woodworking. Most people will opt for a low angle block plane as their very first. I own a 60 1/2 LN and use it all the time. It is probably the most used hand tool in the shop.
An excellent source of information for hand tools is Chris Schwarz and his blog,
http://blog.woodworking-magazine.com/blog/ . He has many entries that involve planes, has written a book,
Handplane Essentials, and provides links to many other sources that are rich in information. Chris's book contains many of his blog entries. On chapter, "Taming Handplane Tear-out," is a collection of seven blog entries from 2007 (I think) that investigate issues with tear-out and the effects of different angled planes on same.
Your fellow Brit, David Charlesworth, is another outstanding source of information. He runs a school in Hartland; if I had the means and time, that would be a top choice for training. David has several DVDs and writes extensively, much of which is appropriate to your initial question, as well as the ones to follow.
Lie-Nielsen is my choice for hand tools in general, and the 60 1/2 is my vote for a block plane.
Regards,
Richard