one of the things thats hard to get - for a beginner anyway - is sound advice on the how-to part of things on the internet.
there's metric sh!t-tons of data out there, and way too much "pet load" information available.
its a simple case of information overload.
however when you start a beginner off with commercially published manuals, it will help give them a guide as to what is or isnt safe reloading practices.
once they get some expierence under their belts and know where the safety checks need to be put into action, then its safer to turn a newbie loose into internet data.
i'm not saying there isnt good data out there, far from it! there's just too much data out there - and a LOT of advocating for some terribly unsafe practices posted by people who either dont know better or dont care. Until you know what to watch for, its better to be able to have something concrete to fall back on to verify anything you do stumble across online at the very least.
having a friend who can mentor you is priceless, can speed up the learning curve and help you avoid the pitfalls many new beginners fall into.
as any of us know, reloading is not a hobby thats forgiving of mistakes.
thebig1 - if you want to do the guy a real solid, hornady's 9th is on sale right now at amazon for $12, prime. thats an amazing manual for that amount of $.
http://a.co/aE2AIG2
if you want to gift him something without depleting your personal archive its gonna be hard to beat that. if nothing else give him the link and tell him pick it up as his first reloading gear purchase.