I've read about Walter Murch before, and just refreshed my memory of some of the things he talks about in this book by watching Apocalypse Now (and it's documentaries) again. This book is great for giving you a very basic history of film editing, and some real-world examples of difficulties in editing movies, the different types of technology in use, etc.

It's not too technical a book, and does have an expansive section on digital film editing (now that that's the primary method), but even details regarding equipment and techniques that are no longer in vogue can teach you a lot.

I heard Werner Herzog talking about this editor and this book and had to snatch it up. Worth a read if you want to be a filmmaker; it gives you a good idea of how to be a successful film editor and have their eyes to make a great film work.