Shraner's book was really all I needed for my first build. It also explains why you would never want radial on the drive side of a rear wheel -> the forces would try to get the spokes to align tangentially. It's a fun book, and spiral bound for laying open on the bench.

My wheels:
IRO hubs
Mavic OP ($90 a pair on pricepoint. shop around)
DT Competition (14,15,14)
Brass Nipples
32h F laced 3x, 36h R laced 4x
Strong as hell (I'm 210#)