There are lots of books and online resources out there — for the basics, almost any of them will do. Here are some reources but there are many, many more.
Digital Photography School This has tons of material, ranging from very basic to special topics useful for more skilled photographers. Their Tips for Beginners are excellent.
Even more basic: Lifehacker’s intro to photography. Part I may tell you more about the inner workings of the camera than you probably need to know. This is oriented toward people new to dSLRs, not people using point and shoot cameras.