Chinese Language Learning Resources for the Beginner

After a lot of research, this seems to be an good set of resources for the beginning Chinese learner:

• Michel Thomas Mandarin Total (previously called Foundation) - For basic understanding of grammar and tones
  
• Pimsleur Mandarin - Pronunciation and basic conversations
• Tuttle's Learning Chinese Characters - Writing
• Assimil's Chinese With Ease, Volume 1 - To tie it all together
  

See my earlier post on Expert Language Learning Techniques for how to put this together into a plan for actually learning the language.