The manual is free and online (part 1, part 2), but if you're on dialup you may want to buy a hard copy from the blender store.

Hmm..lesseee, tips...

Spacebar gives you the menu that lets you create new objects.  When you create an object, it will be created in "edit mode"--this allows you to add points, move them around, etc.  If you hit the tab key it'll take you out of edit mode into object mode, or vice versa.

Right mouse button lets you select objects or points.  Left mouse button re-centers the cursor (little red circle with the crosshairs; this is useful when you want to rotate something around a specific point, you can rotate or resize things around the cursor.  If you have a scrollwheel mouse, scrolling the wheel zooms in/out, clicking and holding allows you to rotate your view around whatever is currently the center of view, and shift+middle-clicking allows you to pan the view.

You can't do much in blender without hotkeys.  'R' will rotate and object or vertex (or set of objects/vertices), 'G' moves stuff, and 'S' resizes stuff.

The number pad allows you to change the view (I'm pretty sure you need num lock on).  7 changes to top view, 1 changes to front, 3 is side.  You can view from to opposite side (bottom, back, or other side) if you hit control+the number.  5 toggles you in and out of perspective mode (most modelling should probably be done not in perspective mode, it makes things look strangely warped).  8, 4, 6, and 2 rotate the view around the center of view towards the top, left, right, or bottom, respectively.  Control + 0 let you see from the camera view.

That should get you started, I guess.