"The Scottish Rite Rite Ritual Monitor and Guide" is an excellent source on the foundations of the blue lodge, as well as the origins of the AASR. For more on AASR, "Lodge of the Double-Headed Eagle" by William L. Fox is a good read.
Allen Roberts' books, "Freemasonry in American History" and "House Undivided" are good resources, as is Michael Halloran's "The Better Angels of Our Nature." Someone above mentioned Davis' "The Mason's Word," and I found this to be an excellent resource on the development of the Work, especially within the U.S. Other good sources include Hodapp's "Solomon's Builders" and a newer book, "Revolutionary Brotherhood," whose author slips my memory at the moment.
In general reference and resource, it's hard to beat Hodapp's "Freemasonry for Dummies" and Morris' "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Freemasonry" as a good beginner's look at the structure and history of the Craft.
Once you've covered those, John Robinson's "Born in Blood" makes a good, if somewhat speculative story of his theory of the Craft's origin from the Knights Templar.