I went and bought this book I think about 15 or 16 years ago. I was going to grow in my bedroom closet at my parents house. This was before medical laws were passed or anything... and it worked out about as well as you would expect. In any case, I read the book cover to cover, absolutely annihilated the information and always knew it was going to be something I pursued. It still has most of the basic information you would care to need in getting started, how to properly illuminate and ventilate, what to expect in vegetation and flowering, harvesting/curing methods etc.
Fast forward 7 or 8 years, I have my own apartment, finally a bit of spare money, and these new laws protecting me... So I just got started. I won't go into the details of course. I mostly relied on my previous knowledge, but I browsed the online resources extensively at this time. Back 7 or 8 years ago, I would have said that hand's down, rollitup was where all the good resources were/are. Even subcool has/had a subforum there, and a few other breeders were/are around so you could stay abreast of what the cutting edge of genetics was getting into.
Then the nutrient companies came in imo. Then hydrofarm/sunlight supply etc... Now it's all about pushing some products and encouraging new growers to utilize a particular nutrient line.
So I switched to Youtube for information/entertainment.
I already know a lot about how to grow, now I like seeing what other growers are up to, seeing where I can refine my techniques.
Coincidentally, I also feel this is also the best way to learn. Lots of good guys out there. My favorite set-up so far would probably be something similar to what this guy is doing:
I think this guy's channel is very informational as well: Dutchman's Medical Marijuana (lots of neat and useful tips for getting started.)
I check in on VaderOG, medicropper, medgrower1, Mr. Tight's Home Grown Report, and a few other weed-tubers as well, but they are more about telling you what's going on in their garden, and then also sprinkle in useful information, especially if you are running flood and drain or DWC, which I do not, but think they are neat. I also find that it helps seeing how these folks deal with their issues. Ignore their nutrient/nutrient programs. Find your own way there. Learn what each component in a fertilizer does what, and then decide how you might like to incorporate what into your set-up.
Anyways, sorry for the essay.
Hope it helps someone.