Here are two books that I recommend without reservation:

 
Nonlinear 4 by Michael Rubin

 
Benjamin's opinion:
I highly recommend this book to everyone interested in editing. The 3rd edition was already a highly useful and informative resource. This 4th edition expands on this tradition, adding even more helpful topics and illustrations. Rubin's clear explanations and straightforward analogies make complex technical concepts easy to understand. This book is a MUST for those entering the world of editing, and a great resource for veterans looking to fill in the gaps.

 
I feel the name is a bit misleading since it covers a great deal of other useful information, like easy to understand explanations of Drop Frame and Non Drop Frame Time Code (including the the how's and whys); 3:2 Pulldown, Sample Rate, Bit Depth, and how to read an Edit Decision List among many other topics.

 
Nonlinear 4's newly added information includes:
DTV, video on the Web, bandwidth, an overview of broadcasting & the economics of distribution, color sampling, square & nonsquare pixels, light, color space, OMF, DVD authoring, scene/take nomenclature, post-production workflows, balanced/unbalanced audio, aspect ratios, ergonomics, RT-11, electronic cinema, and a section on various "real world" editing topics.

 
Rubin's extremely helpful use of various analogies to help illustrate otherwise arcane topics now include stuff like "the kitchen sink" (to illustrate color space), a water cooler (to illustrate DVD bit budgeting), and "the one about the two guys in the bar" (to illustrate codecs), and more. This makes an otherwise dry read pretty enjoyable.

 
Visit the "Contents" page at www.nonlinear4.com for a complete list of all this wonderful book contains, as well as several Adobe Acrobat pages that illustrate the depth of the book.

 
Here's info on the book from other sources:

 
Booknews.com says: (about the previous edition, Nonlinear3)

Written in non-technical language, this edition covers topics including SMPTE timecode, Election and 3:2 pulldown, digital storage, component and composite video, film edge numbers and electronic film editing, the post-production process, online and offline editing, Quicktime, and nonlinear editing.

 
Nonlinear4.com says:

This book covers virtually everything any normal individual would want to know about the new world of electronic post-production, without much of the geeky mumbo jumbo that characterizes most professional texts. The book has been so revolutionary, and so enjoyable, that it has not only fully penetrated the professional industry, but has expanded into consumer and prosumer markets. It is used in hundreds of colleges and universities, and thousands of professional organizations. More than 15,000 copies have been sold since its debut, making it the single best seller in the industry. It is designed not to go out of date every time a new software release comes out or a new product is introduced. It is about essentials. Fundamentals. Concepts. And language. It is an enjoyable romp through the often-dull business and technology of digital film and video making.
 

The Avid Handbook by Steve Bayes & Greg Staten

 
Ben's opinion:
This is an awesome book, full of a ton of useful information for those who have been using the Media Composer for some time and want to get better acquainted with the complexities of the Media Composer software. Here's some information on this book from other sources:

 
Amazon.com says:
* Revised throughout to reflect system upgrades, including a new chapter on Symphony.
* For those with some experience with the Avid Media Composer or Avid Xpress who want to expand their knowledge.
* A guide to strategies, common problems, and techniques while editing nonlinear digital video or film.

 
The Avid Media Composer and Avid Xpress are the most widely used nonlinear editing systems by professionals in the film and video industries. Based on his [Steve Bayes] experience teaching countless seminars around the world on the Avid Media Composer and Avid Xpress, Steve Bayes has written the most comprehensive manual for nonlinear digital editing on these Avid editing systems. This handbook has been revised throughout to reflect recent upgrades to these systems.

 
The Publisher says:
Written for the reader who already has a basic knowledge of the editing systems, this book moves beyond an introduction to the Media Composer and Avid Xpress and focuses on strategies, techniques, and troubleshooting. The Avid Handbook covers the basics of working with effects, rendering, and graphics and discusses the more abstract issues of workflow and organization of different types of editing projects. The book also discusses frequently made mistakes, common technical problems and how they can be avoided. The new edition also discusses Symphony (1.0), Mac and NT collaboration and Meridian video board features.

  
Steve Bayes, author of The Avid Handbook and former Senior Designer of the Avid Media Composer says:
This book is going into the fourth printing. It is recommended by many Avid training centers and I would suggest that it is helpful to anyone wanting to learn Avid editing systems whether you take a course or not. It is a reference for intermediate techniques and an overall discussion of nonlinear issues on Avid editing systems. It is the most complete treatment of finishing on Avid that has been printed.

 
Background on the Avid Handbook:
This book is culmination of presentations given over the last 4 years at Avid User Groups and Master Workshops. They have consistently gotten the highest marks for student feedback of any presentations Avid has sponsored. The material is based on courseware taught at 42 Avid Certified Education Centers worldwide and taught by 100's of trained instructors. This was the only book to sellout at NAB and has almost sold out the first printing of 2500 in 4 months although it is only sold on the Internet. It is the most up to date and in depth treatment of editing on the Avid Media Composer and Avid Xpress on the market today.