There is a Lynda.com video tutorial avialable at demonoid.com .Search with the following keyword Lynda.com - 3ds Max 9 Essential Training .This is in the others section.
For tht, there is no better option than to install the software and go thru the help tut files..trust me on this..i belong to the cg industry..and i can assure you tht maya's (n max's) help files and tuts are the best way to start..no second thoughts on tht.. agreed, u'll need to read a lot but hey..life's never easy..