After reading the for dummies book, I got "The Complete Guide to Light & Lighting in Digital Photography" by Michael Freeman. A very good book for beginners.
One of the things he does extensively, which will be a tremendous help for beginners, is to explain and give examples of the light histogram. When I got my point and shoot, it has this feature, but I had no idea what it was for. Canon's documentation fell short, there. This filled that hole.
This book is of immense value, not as much for technique as it is for explanations. Where other books tell you what to do, this one goes extensively into the why, and what effects. This has the advantage of letting your mind race on ahead to guess how you can use this for YOUR purposes.
As with all books, check your local library, first. Free is good.
