Both Eleanor Burns and Harriet Hargrave are great. I would also recommend Fons and Porter's, The Joy of Quilting. Beginner classes at a LQS are great and there is someone right there to give hands-on help. In addition Burns and F&P have very helpful videos on their websites. It's good to look at several books. Might try the library before you buy. All these people have different techniques and ways of doing things. Try different ideas and techniques to see what suits you.