I always recommend the "... for Dummies" series for anyone woving into a new area. This series includes books covering Linux in general as well as specific distributions. There is also a "Linux Administration for Dummies" book.
I recommend thisseries for several reasons.
1. Low price: (why pay $60 for a refernce book only to find out that only 1 chapter has information you need). Most of the "... for Dummies" series go for less than $30 an many ae under $20.
2. Easy to understand: This series provides basic information (enough to get you started) in a manner that won't put you to sleep. The authors try to inject humor into what is usually otherwise a dry subject and use vocabulary that most everyone will understand. They try to avoid "geekspeak" as much as possible. When it can't be avoided, they provide a thorough, easy to understand definition. Most also include removable "cheat sheets" with the most commonly used commands.
3. Wide variety of subjects: This seriesincludes subjects I never would have fathomed requireing a reference book.
