Two Easy Noob Questions

Just got two computers to play with and I am going Linux for both as MS is rolling out 10 for my laptop soon and I want backup for when/if that fails.

So. I am not new to programming concepts as I am a hobbyist who plays in C++, python, and a few other languages as well as plenty of open-source goodies like Blender, Unity, and GIMP.

I just installed UbuntuStudio 14.04.2 Trusty Tahr 64-bit in the rig with the AMD 3.1GHZ/4GB RAM machine and it is running awesome although I want to hook-up a USB wifi on it so I can install a few more packages and access the manuals for the installed software as they weren't installed with the software (online only so far). As this will take care of my artistic side I want a distro that will take care of my intellectual side and contain compilers and reference material (automatically installed on machine) for as many programming languages as possible and it needs to be a 32-bit distro. I would also like opinions on best books to learn Linux, all aspects of Linux, something inline with The Linux Bible.

Short and sweet version: Input on the best distro for programmers and the best books to learn Linux as a whole.

Thank you all in the Linux community for your help and guidance. I look forward to participating more fully in this community as I learn and grow with this software.