I'm a technical designer (womens sweaters), and I've never seen a book on how to measure. That being said, it's not that difficult to do. Most companies follow the same procedure, but there are some weird ones that have their own way of measuring. Here is how you would measure a sweater or cut-and-sew knit top:
A) lay the garment flat on the table, aligning the front and back hem so that they are at the same level (i.e. the back hem can't be longer than the front hem).
B) Smooth out the garment (very gently, just lightly pat it down so that there are no bumps/lumps).
C) Move the Sleeves so that they do not "bunch up" at the underarm (sleeves will need to be folded so that the garment is flat on the table).
D) Usually you start off with the body measurements and then move on to the neck and then the sleeves (i.e. "Body Length" "Shoulder Width", "Across Front", "Across Back" "Chest", "Waist", "Bottom Opening", "Neck Width", "Front Neck Drop", "Back Neck Drop", "Sleeve Length", "Armhole", "Muscle", "Cuff Opening", and then the details). Some styles require to be measured "Seam to Seam" other styles are measured "Edge to Edge".
E) HPS is "High Point of Shoulder" (which is taken from where the Neck Seam meets the Shoulder Seam on "Seam to Seam" measured styles (or where the Neck Edge is on "Edge to Edge" measured styles). That determines length, across front/back placement, waist placement, and neck drops.
Again, I'm in knit tops, so this is for knitwear only. Woven bottoms, outerwear, etc. has different measurement specifications (called specs).