The elisp tutorial that comes with emacs is a well written starting-point for the total beginner.
http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/emacs-lisp-intro/html_node...
http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/emacs-lisp-intro/html_node...
A very nice 15-page PDF hands-on introduction, in a nice layout optimized for screen-reading on our fancy widescreen displays ;-)