What, exactly, are you wanting to do with Linux?
If it's a desktop OS, just install it (Fedora, SuSE, or Mandrake) and start using it. You'll pick it up eventually. A good book might help, but isn't really necessary.
If you want to learn how to configure and admin a webserver or something, don't install an X system. Leave it CLI-only and use the CLI. That way, when you SSH into a box, you're not completely lost.