A primer ... well, a couple of options come to mind. If you don't have Gianaclis Caldwell's Mastering Artisan Cheesemaking, acquire it immediately. This is the single most useful book I have found. It explains the microbiological processes of what goes on in making cheese in language that is accessible even to a non-scientist like me. It specifically helps you to understand how to vary the variables to get different results.
If you want something that is more of a massive reference work ... I have just recently received The Oxford Companion to Cheese as a gift. I have not gotten very far in looking through it, but I think I will find it a useful adjunct. However, this is definitely more of a reference encyclopedia, not the book to start with - that would be Caldwell. It has articles on anything and everything you can imagine (and some you haven't imagined) that has anything to do with cheese. Want to know more about b. Linens? p. 86. Want to know what lypolysis is, and where lipases come from? p. 437. And so on ...