I used the ARRL handbook and a Dutch book about building receivers as first start in electronics. Learned a lot while repairing, building and using test gear. My number one bible for allround electronics is The art of electronics. I refreshed math by following the YouTube math tutorials at Kahn academie.
http://www.khanacademy.org/I think the Terman books are very good, but as addition because they are over 60 years old (I have 3 of them)
After that I read many, many books.
Here are a few points/ways/suggestions.
Start with some special field and learn from there. I started with RF to become a HAM. Learned at first only the RF related basics But RF is not the most easy thing in electronics. Playing with something lake an arduino is also a way. Very big community for help and info. Others start with things like a robot
Start with the bare basic theory, like the art of electronics.
Start playing around, something like electronics for dummies and a breadboard.
Or build some kits and learn how they work.
repairing stuff can be very educational, for most if you want to know how things work and study the things you find related to that. And then I mean not the repair done by poking around with an ESR meter or blind changing a lot of parts in the hope you also change the bad one.
Things also depend on your goal. I know a man who is 70 and started 5 years ago, as he retired, building some kits, later builded some schematics from internet and is completely happy with that. He does not want do design things or know in dept how they work. He likes fiddeling around with is solder iron and build simple things.
It also depends on your education and skills. If you only have done a basic school as a kid and that was allready hard work the some parts of electronics can cost you lots of swet and tears, or maybe it is to complex. But maybe you turn out to be a wizzard with the solder iron and make the most beautifull things without knowing the "secrets".
Or you understand the things just by looking quick at them. But can't hold your hand steady enough and have a to bad vision even to build something with tubes.
And there are many, many ways in between. Most start because they like it, are fascinated by it and know up front what they want and search their way with that goal in mind. And often those goals change in time. At first I was fascinated by tubes. Restored and build tube transmitters and receivers. Then I repaired a 2m transceiver and needed a better scope. A friend gave me some very usable but not working instruments because he moved to a smaller house and I started repairing those and since then I'm most interested in repairing/restoring test gear, calibrating and component behaiviour because I also wanted to use that gear. My interest in RF is since then moved towards network analyse and I like designing stuff (most measurement related and most times with many opamps in through hole and SMD, tubes only for restauration. I'm no restoring an early 40's GR-605B standard generator with tubes. Just for fun, not because I need one or want one. If it's ready it probably will move at some moment to a new home.