looking for basic info.

I'm on the sidelines with a good chunk of cash, waiting for the right time to buy into the market again. I quit my job on 12/31/00 and my 401k was terminated a month or so after that. I rolled the full amount into a personal IRA and have had it sitting in a money market account ever since. I originally planned to roll it back into stocks when the market dipped below 9000, but now I am sitting back and waiting for the market to hit the bottom of the current situation. Are there any good books or websites out there along the lines of investing for idiots? I have just enough of an idea about the market to be a danger to myself. It seems like I'm poised in a good situation. How do I best cash in on the death and misery of others?