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Red Hat Linux Unleashed
Pitts et. al.
There are two version of this book so make sure you get the right one. This is probably the best introduction to getting Linux installed, up and doing what you want. It then introduces you to the key components you will need to use. Not really required if you know Unix and are prepared to read the Red Hat manual, Linux HOW-TOs and man pages but for everyone else it is a good starting place. The other advantage of this one is that it comes with a copy of Red Hat on CD.
I personally think that buying this book is the best way to get a copy of Linux. Not only do you get the CD but you also get a better guide to installing it than supplied by Red Hat and a good tutorial on all the other basics you will need. If you don't mind making mistakes and are prepared to read the publicly available documentation then you can get yourself up and running with just this one purchase. You will then only need a good guide to Unix or Linux at a programming level and some help with Perl before you will know everything needed to build and run a slick web site.
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