Any newb I meet, I always direct them to The Pace. It is probably the #1 bit of advice that can help anyone who get's into motorcycle riding have a long and enjoyable "career" as motorcyclist. The people who came up with it are professionals and have tweaked it very little since it first came out. They pretty much got it right the first time. I also point them towards Nick's book, along with Lee Park's Total Control, which was the book I got the most out of, maybe it was just the format it was in. And this was after decades of already riding on the street. You can always learn something new. But The Pace is a free read, and everyone should read it and take it to heart. It really can save lives. I've also read both Twist of the Wrist (I didn't get much out of those, but Keith Code's column in Motorcyclist has some good advice now and again), Reg Pridmore's Smooth Riding, and for the hardcore, Bernt Spiegel's The Upper Half of the Motorcycle. That book is more like a college text, but once your wrap your head around it, it's pretty informative.
They should also read Song of the Sausage Creature.
http://www.latexnet.org/~csmith/sausage.html 
