Go read my article on Subversion for the O'Reilly Network.
Quoting myself from what I've sent to the Subversion mailing list :
This is an introduction, aimed at people that don't necessarily know CVS or another similar software, that explains in simple terms how to setup a local Subversion repository, for a single user. (The goal is to have more people to try Subversion, by flattening the current learning curve.) Of course, any kind of feedback is welcome. I plan to publish another article, that will cover more advanced features -- networked repository, multiple users.Thanks to chromatic for having encouraged me to write this article.