advice for the novice, neophyte and amateur  

An index put together by the creators of DA at the top of their home page,
way left, is a wealth of education. Starting with 'A' (click) it may take a week
to get through a few alphabets with your morning coffee or tea.

Architonic, is a similar site. Weeks of education. (google it)

A mentor, teacher, designer friend gave me a book 15 years ago.
Even quite famous, he claims to be all of the above, as do i.
Always learning, forever the student.

Design 1935-1965 What Modern Was
Even the editor, Martin Eidelberg admits it is thin at 400+ pages.

I read it cover to cover.
It was just the beginning.

The American Century: Art and Culture 1900-1950
The American Century: Art and Culture, 1950-2000 (Amazon.com)

Three good basics.

An endless amount of books to study.
(don't want to start a battle of the best books)

And don't complain about the cost. Try your local library.
And don't complain about your local library. Lots of information on the net.
And don't complain when someone has taken the time to enjoy the
process of education and has to answer to those that have not.

If you are young, thrifty and crafty you can find OMG! sites that are fun and
will fulfill your needs. (design*sponge) for example.
E-bay has an MCM forum to help identify odd thrift store furniture.
Do some research first.
forums tend to find a similar voice and personality.
When the knowledge becomes weak, the educated move on.

http://www.architonic.com/mus/des/8991001/1