For absolute beginners, Starting Strength or Stronglifts is great.
In the book I recommend something similar, but a bit more custom for muscle building. Basically, stick to the big four (deadlifts, squats, bench press and overhead press), throw in some accessory work for lagging bodyparts and problem areas. It'll do wonders.
For more advanced people, same as above, but with more volume and tension training.
I like people to follow this progression when weight training:
Focus on strength first, volume second and tension third. Seems the best recipe for putting on muscle fast.