I do recommend checking out out Free Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Real Estate Investing which I think will be of help to you, and as others have said, our Podcast and Blog are also invaluable tools along with the forums.Good luck.

I am new to REI myself and I just got done reading a wonderful blog post about how to find a mentor.

I would definitely do what @John Cummings said and spend some time on the forums; HomeAway has blogs and forums that would probably be of help.

I could keep going but then this post would turn into a blog...

I am learning so much on this blog but I am very confused on how so many people seem to jump into real estate because they lost a job or quit when banks want to see current employment.

Some ideas:CraigslistCall For Rent Signs/AdsCall For Sale AdsCall We Buy Houses SignsCall RealtorsAsk Your Existing BuyersLocal REI meetingsBrochure Boxes (At Houses You Have for Sale)Talk to People at the Court House StepsCreate a BlogAsk Hard Money LendersMLS - Cash Buyers of Other Properties(All suggestions from Scott Costello who once wrote a guest post on my blog)

Check out @Sharon Vornholt 's blog for great info on probate marketing.

If not, let me know what library you tried and I will have someone go to a library, get a copy, scan it and put it on my blog.

Look around this site and read the main blog articles, listen to the Podcasts (Both under the "Learn" tab at the top of the screen) and be active in the forums and you will be able to get a pretty quick education on whatever niche you want to get into.It is also good to get out and meet other local investors at some of the many investor events we have throughout the month.

Thanks @Mark Ferguson Big fan of your blog as well as BP.