Quote Originally Posted by yellow
I'm one of those that learns well from reading, then applying...

That being said, I highly recommend Ned Overend's book Mountain Bike Like a Champion. It's a great compilation of basic stuff and is easy to read and understand.

There is a video too that I haven't seen/used, but SadieKate tells me it's good too.
I got the DVD after a recommendation from SadieKate its called Performance Mountain Biking by Ned Overend. Its full of great info for beginners.