Up until the early 1900s, guitar strings were primarily made of sheep or pig gut. Although satisfactory, gut strings presented many challenges to guitarists because their elasticity was short-lived. With reference to this dilemma Andres Segovia once explained, "'If you live to be ninety years old," a wit said to me, 'you'll have spent at least seventy of them tuning your guitar.'" Still, the German string manufacturer Pirastro made (and is making) strides in subduing the deficiencies of gut by making superior strings that tune better, produce rich sound, and last longer.
The introduction of synthetics during World War II opened up the way to nylon strings. One of the foremost engineers in this field was Albert Augustine, a Danish guitarmaker who, along with Andres Segovia, pioneered the development of nylon strings. Although he died in 1967, his company continues to produce some of the highest quality nylon strings in the market.
Presently, most acoustic guitar players use steel strings. Of these there are several varieties that I encourage you to "play" with. Yes - pun intended.
The most popular string is known as the 80/20. These have a sharp brilliance but do not last long. Just something to keep in mind. An 80/20 is made of an alloy comprised of 80% copper and 20% zinc. This alloy is sometimes called bronze, sometimes brass. Go figure. A variation on the bronze is the 85/15. You guessed it - 85% copper, 15% zinc. These sound a little less bright than 80/20's.
Next there is the phosphor bronze (PB) string. These produce a warmer, deeper sound than bronze strings and retain their new sound longer than bronze because of the phosphorous in the alloy.
Regardless of your playing style, sound and comfort are two main concerns when purchasing strings. Since string performance varies, you must consider your playing style and your guitar. I'd say for most fingerpicking, a light to medium light gauge is appropriate. Gauge refers to the overall thickness of the strings. If you haven't been playing for very long and you want good tone and brightness, the lighter gauges are the way to go. They're easier on your fingers. I presently have D'Addario EJ16 Phosphor Bronze strings, which are a light gauge, on my Seagull S6 Folk guitar. They sound great. If you want more sustain you can move up to a medium gauge without too much agony. As a side point, using a small amount of rubbing alcohol on your fingertips will help build/maintain your callouses making it more fun for you to play.
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