[jmc]

I'd say give Harrington on Cash vol 1 a try -- perhaps a local Barnes and Noble will have a copy for you to browse before you decide to buy.

I'm not really sure what to recommend to a beginner for NL cash games because I started off as a limit hold-em player. Ed Miller's Small Stakes Hold'em is by far one of the best poker books written for the beginning poker player. Personally, I'd recommend that players interested in learning holdem (and don't have huge bankrolls to donk around with) start off as limit players, especially if they're interested in playing in casinos.

Playing limit will teach you several things about holdem:
1. Selecting premium starting hands
2. Value betting
3. Hand reading
4. Basic poker psychology
5. Understanding flop texture
6. pot odds

The fixed limit betting pattern also means that you'll have to worry less about the following:
1. Bluffing and other forms of deception
2. position
3. stack sizes and pot committment
4. implied odds