Jen,
I have the Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches you located on Amazon and it has more stitches than I could ever use, but by doing a search for hand embroidery on line I found sites with the information that you are looking for and more.
One site is:
http://inaminuteago.com/stitchindex.html

Hope this is helpful.
Sally aka Nana24 (to four)

Sally, thanks so much. I found that site and it is indeed helpful. However, since I don't know the name of most stitches, it's difficult to find the one I want in a list of names.

What is the name of the basic and common stitch used to make a straight line or curved outline of something, or perhaps to sew one's name? It's a simple, basic stitch and I can't remember the name of it. I will be making a small wall-hanging quilt that uses applique on which I will embroider some lines and gentle curves to highlight features. The instructions for the stitch are not provided in the quilt instructions. If I can get the name of that stitch, then I'll know what to research on-line or in a book.

I'd like a good book to have on my lap and refer do while I'm doing the stitching in front of the TV. There are a few I put on my wish list at Amazon.... I may go to a walk-in book store where I can look through different books and choose the one that's best for me.

Thanks again,
Jen

Jen,
You probably want a Back stitch, an Outine stitch or a stem stitch.
I like books too. I also understand having it close at hand. Probably the best thing to do is look at a few at your local bookstore. You could even go in with some names of books that you have seen on line.
Good luck finding just what you want.
Sally