The book titled "Body for Life" by Bill Phillips gives a great beginners look into the world of physical fitness. It covers the basics of training and nutrition. There is a fair amount of motherhood and apple pie in the opening chapter or two which are really a quick read. The chapters on training and nutrition are IMHO very good.
Here's the deal that makes Bill Phillips a bit of a genius. He started a contest that gives away wads of cash to contestants who complete the twelve week regiment he prescribes. He also sells a ton of supplments including protein powders, creatine, and the like that aid you through the process. If you look at the photos the results can be dramatic. It takes a firm comittment to get there but in my twelve week case the view was definitely worth the climb.
Here is a link to the two sites that are the core of this:
http://www.bodyforlife.com/ - covers the training & nutrition
http://www.eas.com/ - covers the supplements
http://www.netrition.com/ - cheapest place on the web that I've found for EAS and other products.