Forget the first one! I think I got that free with a magazine subscription. It was a joke.
The Ned book is a good one. More oriented towards racing but a lot of good information. However, I gotta agree with Gastro. Read for the stimulation, RIDE for the experience.
With that said, buy them both. It definitely WON't hurt to read them.
I would also take Amazon's recommendation and buy the Zinn maintenance book. It's a good "how to" to reduce the number of visits to the shop for basic stuff you can do at home or even on the trails.
L8R
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"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, "WOW, What a Ride!" - unknown
"Your Bike Sucks" - Sky Yaeger