Livre d'Or

I'm sorry this is such a late response but I was thinking maybe you might find the "Introduction to..." & "[x] for Beginners" books helpful. And, of course, the "For Dummies" series. :)

(The Very Short Introductions site has annoying flash, sorry. Also, I think there's a U.S. version of these but I can't remember the company and those books are still unpacked.)