A good book/magazine to learn about the basics of car parts?

I know you asked about a book or magazine, A2KWong, but I feel I must point you to the HowStuffWorks website for good basic understanding of individual parts, but in the context of their function within larger automotive systems. Here's a sample page of some transmission parts: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/transmission2.htm

I'll find some books later, but in the meantime, I'll tell you that magazines, for the most part, will not meet your needs because their content tends to be more dynamic and overly specialized. Go to http://auto.howstuffworks.com/ and explore the topics that get your attention.