The Pali Canon (Tipitaka):
If you're thinking of purchasing your own printed copy of the Tipitaka, be forewarned: the Pali canon is huge; owning a complete set is a serious commitment. The Pali Text Society's edition of the Tipitaka (English translation) fills over 12,000 pages in approximately fifty hardbound volumes, taking up about five linear feet of shelf space, and costing about US$2,000. Moreover, a few of the more obscure books in the Tipitaka are simply unavailable in English translation, so if you really must read the entire Tipitaka, you'll just have to Learn Pali. The PTS has for over a century been the leading publisher of the Tipitaka, both in romanized Pali and in English translation, but many of their translations are now badly out of date. Much better translations of several portions of the Canon are now available from other publishers. Here are my recommendations for printed translations that add up to a useful — if incomplete — version of the Tipitaka:
The Book of the Discipline, I.B. Horner
The Long Discourses of the Buddha (formerly titled Thus Have I Heard), Maurice Walshe
The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, Bhikkhu Ñanamoli and Bhikkhu Bodhi
The Connected Discourses of the Buddha, Bhikkhu Bodhi