For the other part of your question.
If you are on these forums then the best answer is to buy an Arduino UNO. Sparkfun.com is my on-line retailer of choice for this because I like supporting what they do. However, Radio Shack has recently started selling them and the slightly higher price (+$4) is well worth the savings in time and shipping.
While you check out Sparkfun's website, take a look at the books they offer. Which book you buy would really depend on what your starting knowledge level is.
For example, if you have never used .net based programming (even VB.net would be useful) then you really need to start at a very basic level.
If you have a working knowledge with the programming but have no electronics knowledge, there are books for you as well.
If you have a little knowledge of both, then ask yourself what you would do with the knowledge and there are books that cater to specific areas of interest.
These forums are your friend once you get started but the welath of knowledge I have gained just on the product pages at Sparkfun cannot be discounted.