I would recommend:
Easy Tarot: Learn to read the cards once and for all! By Josephine Ellershaw. The book also comes with a beautifully illustrated gilded Tarot deck. I found it @ Barnes and Noble.com.
Hope this helps!
The Rider Waite deck is great for learning. It has meaningful illustrations on each of the Minor Arcana, which most decks do not. Plus you can get Waite's Pictorial Key to the Tarot in print or as a free download.
Of course there are a lot of great resources to learn tarot, but Waite's deck and Waite's book...well you get the idea.
you should use a deck that 'calls to you' in a way. meaning the artwork is appealing, they feel nice when you hold them, it has a theme you like. also, try to find one that comes with a book. some feel a book is a bad thing and you should discover the meaning for each card yourself, but a book can help you with a basic meaning behind each one. i still feel you should take each card and meditate with it, to try and 'feel' what it means.
http://www.learntarot.com/cards.htm
i find this site very helpful to learn and whenever i get stuck in a reading.
The Rider Waite deck is an excellent choice for a first deck. It is widely consider the standard deck for most purposes. It is easy to read with wonderful pictures. A great beginner deck if you are just starting out. It is often the deck a lot of well-versed Tarot readers will still use (in addition to other decks, or as a standalone). So if you're unsure about your own intuition or power, it is a wonderful first companion.
However, that is not to say that if you come across a non-Rider deck that just simply pulls to you that you should over look that other deck. Go with what feels natural, right, and comfortable for you. In the end, your own ease and love of the deck will help immensely when using it. ;)
