That board offers the larger Micro, I would suggest the 18 to 28 pin first.
One good starting point is Nigel's PIC Tutorial Page, the Strip type boards can be had here Prototyping Boards
If you are thinking in terms of C to program the 16F series is a good start, if you want to follow the assembly programming route then if you migrate to the 18F they are a bit easier to use.
Another series of books is the Picmicro series by David Benson.
Al.