I would wholeheartedly second 'The Art of Electronics'---it is a perfect book to start with. I would add 'The art of designing analog chips' by Camenzind (the inventor of the 555 timer) and 'Multistage Transistor Circuits' (SEEC, vl 5). The last book is a good introduction into the design portion of the process. If one feels particularly adventurous, reading old Bob Pease's columns in ED is also educational.