As a former home brew supplies retailer, I'd second the advice from joninnyc. Once you've made your first batch with the kit, you can branch out. The kit gives you necessary equipment and good instructions, so you have a teacher in a box. If you live where there is a home brew shop, go there. Usually there will be experienced staff who love helping people get started. There are good books and magazines too.

The best way to get started in my opinion is to get a kit with fermenter, air lock, sanitizer, and all the other equipment you need. These will usually come with very detailed instructions, and some even come with the ingredients to make a particular kind of beer. There is actually a vendor in our shop who sells these kits and I've heard some great things about them: http://www.food52.com/shops/1029362662_brooklyn_brew_shop (I only see ingredients on there so you may have to go to their website for the actual kits)