You might be a newbie now, but you are going to be a smart newbie in no time at all because you are doing something most newbies don't do—start with some education.

If you want to invest in individual stocks, you will really need to prepare because you will be competing with professional fund managers. You're going to have to read books on how to evaluate companies and you will have to put continuous time into watching the companies you own. Furthermore, you will need at least 30 stocks to be anywhere near diversified.   

So, to begin, you might consider mutual funds while focusing on general investing fundamentals. Later, if you still have a desire to invest with individual stocks, then go ahead.

The Four Pillars is an excellent book, but it's lengthy and a little heavy for a first book for some people. If you want to start with something shorter, then I would recommend the following. If you want to tackle the Four Pillars right away, go for it. You may find it, and  the following books, at your library.

The Intellegent Investor by Ben Graham, edited/revised by Jason Zweig, 2003. Ben Graham is the father of value investing.

A Random Walk Guide to Investing by Burton Malkiel, 2003 

Paul