There are several books on LaTeX and tons of materials in the Internet so here I only include a sample document in source format and instructions how to compile it to PDF format. The instructions are for the LaTeX installation in L-5 studetns' network, but they should apply to all GNU/Linux distributions (except maybe the need to install some specific LaTeX packages). The source code should be self explanatory but if you have any questions please do not hesiatate to contact me.
In order to compile the sample document one has to:
tar zxvf simple_document.tar.gz
cd simple_document
pdflatex simple_document_pl.tex
To view the PDF file write:
acroread simple_document_pl.pdf