Heathkit ET-3100 experimenter and prototype board. Built-in dual power supplies and signal generators. This unit has added positive voltage readout and added fuse (cause your going to blow the fuse if your experimenting hard!!). And Heathkit Semiconductor Devices lesson. You can use this board with any electronics education series. A good way to get started. And it's Heathkit so the manual and schematics are there for mods and repairs.
The textbook "Basic Mathematics for Electronics", 4th edition, Cooke & Adams, is the single best practical text I've found. Along with the ET-3100 comprises a very good basic electronics course that is still valid now. The basics don't change. Book is rough physically but all there and usable.