For beginners looking to learn MATLAB, "MATLAB: An Introduction with Applications" by Amos Gilat is highly recommended. Additionally, the course "MATLAB Programming for Numerical Computation" offers a solid foundation in MATLAB basics. For those seeking a free alternative, Freemat serves as a MATLAB clone with essential functionality. Extensive online PDF tutorials are also available. A notable resource is the book by Cleve Moler, the creator of MATLAB, which is praised for its clarity and informative figures.