Learning AppleScript

ok, I have a giant headache now that I have tried (unsuccessfully) to write a simple script in OS X and I realize that I just do not have anywhere near the information I need to actully pull anything off…
That in mind, I need recommendations for books, guides and tips so that I can figure out simple-sounding things like:
Turning AppleTalk On and Off in OS X Un-Mounting A Server Volume in OS X Doing a Copy and Replace without fighting with dialog boxes
any suggestions would be great. Many thanks!

Your best bet for learning these specific things is to first learn how to read an application’s AppleScript dictionary. You can open a dictionary by dropping any application’s icon onto the Script Editor. This will open the app’s dictionary, assuming said app is scriptable.
The app’s dictionary will give you all the commands which the application will respond to and show you how to word your script.
But it will help you to have a basic understanding of how to read an AS dictionary. To do that, pick up either Ethan Wilde’s AppleScript for Applications or Danny Goodman’s AppleScript handbook.
Wilde’s book covers a bit of X, Danny’s book covers none. HOWEVER, the concept of an AppleScript dictionary is unchanged between 9 and X. Only commands and syntax will have changed slightly. (Or not so slightly, depending on what you’re trying to do.)