I have given two books to each friend of mine who began quilting since I've known them: The Joy of Quilting by Hanson & Hickey (
http://www.amazon.com/Joy-Quilting-J...6143612&sr=1-1) and the Quilter's Ultimate Visual Guide by Rodale Books, Ellen Pahl, ed. (
http://www.amazon.com/Quilters-Ultim...6143664&sr=1-1)
Other than a rotary cutter, I'd also recommend that anyone - especially a beginner) purchase the Wonder Cut Ruler to take ALL the heartburn out of half-square triangles and quarter square triangles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKOTxsSmpZo I have made these units every way possible but this really does the job for me for quilts that need lots of HSTs or QSTs