"My favorite Linux book for beginners is still Robin
"Roblimo" Miller's Point & Click Linux!. This 2004 book may be
out of date, and the copy of MEPIS Linux that comes with it several
generations behind the times, but Robin does a great job of
explaining exactly what you need to know to get to work with Linux.
It's still the best beginner's book out there as far as I'm
concerned.
"If, like a lot of people, you're interested in learning about
Ubuntu Linux, then the best book for you is Mark Sobell's A
Practical Guide to Ubuntu Linux (Versions 8.10 and 8.04). This book
takes you all the way from the basics to intermediate system
administration."