Don't knock the Joy of Cooking . I have four shelves of cookbooks, and that is a classic that I refer to often. If you started there, you're in good shape.

To expand from there, +1 for Bittman, or Joy of Cooking (not a sit down and read cookbook, but a great reference manual). I also really like Melissa Clark's cookbooks (more of a sit down and read for inspiration style).

Mark Bittman's how to cook everything?

Neither. I would go with something like Barefoot Contessa's Back to Basics. Easy and breezy, and spot on flavor wise. No guessing. Then I would add in something like The Silver Palate Cookbook, an oldie but goodie. It will entice the new cook into making something exciting. And the mainstay should be, of course, Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking because, really, it says it all.

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat is the best for learning to cook IMO. It's not really a cookbook per se (it has recipes) but it teaches really good basic technique.

That's tossing them into the deep end. What about something from America's test kitchen aimed at new cooks?

I'm looking for something that will provide a little how, a little why, and a final result of dinner on the table.

My first cookbook was the Joy of Cooking, so I can't rely on my own experience.