I'm interested in setting up a Linux web server, and was hoping someone could suggest a good book.

I'm looking for something more than just setting up Apache and pointing a domain to it's IP.

I'm trying to understand A records, and MX records, and PTR records, etc. I'd like to gain a ground-up knowledge of what is needed with the hope of being able to pay for an unmanaged server and taking it to a full system capable of hosting multiple sites and whatnot. Maybe even a discussion on options for allowing multiple accounts each with the capability of multiples sites (virtualization maybe?).

Thanks.

The specific items that you mention, A records and MX records, have to do with Domain Name Service (DNS). That is completely separate from web server software. You could pick up the O'Reilly book on DNS. I find that the O'Reilly books have too much theory and not enough nuts and bolts information. You would probably get a good start by looking up TCP/IP DNS on a web search engine. You could look up the specific things that you mentioned in your post on a web search engine.

I think that you would be better off setting up a small LAN in your home and configuring a DNS server there. The Internet might be better off as well.