What do I need to set up an in-home recording studio (voice only)?

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

One of the projects on my horizon is writing scripts and narrating short science (biology mostly) videos for YouTube, Vimeo, etc. I know of a great animation student who has done this type of collaboration before and will likely work with her. Some of these will incorporate my own photos/micrographs as well.

I would like to do the voice recording at home or in my office at work. I would like advice on what type of microphone, preamp, etc. I will need. I have worked with Audacity a bit in digitizing my vinyl collection (36 LPs so far this year), but know very little about microphones. Since my office and home are not impervious to outside noise, I am worried about that. However, I can easily do a second take and/or edit in Audacity. I don't think people watching science videos on YouTube are going to nitpick my audio very much, but I do want it to sound as professional as possible. I would like a good book in getting started on this and recommendations for equipment, software, etc. Thanks. 

[Rinaldo]

I would like to do the voice recording at home or in my office at work. I would like advice on what type of microphone, preamp, etc. I will need. I have worked with Audacity a bit in digitizing my vinyl collection (36 LPs so far this year), but know very little about microphones. Since my office and home are not impervious to outside noise, I am worried about that. However, I can easily do a second take and/or edit in Audacity. I don't think people watching science videos on YouTube are going to nitpick my audio very much, but I do want it to sound as professional as possible. I would like a good book in getting started on this and recommendations for equipment, software, etc. Thanks.

You should be perfectly okay with something along the lines of a Rode Procaster with an extra pop filter, as the internal one doesn't do much, IMO. You'll also need a sound card to plug it into (I'd look into what Steinberg, Focusrite, Presonus or Lexicon has to offer), those already have everything you need. A separate preamp and mix seems like overkill in your case, as the Procaster doesn't need that much gain as some other dynamic mics.

A simpler and comparable solution would be the Rode Podcaster USB microphone, which has the sound card integrated and is generally hassle-free and durable, although I'm not a fan of its thinnier sound. Shouldn't be a problem for bassy voices and you can always play around with equalization in post (I'm a Sound Forge guy but Audacity is more than capable). Check this video and if you like what you hear, don't hesitate one bit. Another popular USB mic is the Blue Yeti but I haven't used it and I'd suspect background noise could be a concern with that one.

S(h)ure, if you've got the money to spend, you could go for a SM7B or even splurge on a quality condenser mic like a Neumann TLM 103.. but that's studio territory. Judging by your needs, either of the Rodes, if used correctly, should work like a charm.