Thanks, Nina, for the nice remarks. As Don suggests, come by my
http://www.innographx.com/forum/ site (it's free to join) and practice with us and get some tips on different methods. We have some retouching tutorials, and a variety of mini-tutes and actions for tonal correction that are great for any b/w photo. So, stop by and feel free to ask some questions in the "Retouching Discussion" forum. You may even post a pic there for us to analyze and retouch to get started. Working together on the same photo is a great way for folks to learn what others would do and what works best.
As for software, I use PS7 almost exclusively, but there are a few great plug-ins I've added that help a lot in retouching. It's all on the site. Hope to see you there!
Phyllis