The July 2011 issue of American Philatelist (from the APS) has a great column by Ada Prill identifying some of the more popular U.S. Stamp Series and their common names.
The article is available as a free PDF download from this direct-download link:
http://www.stamps.org/AP/Basics0711.pdfOr the parent webpage and "Back to Basics" link can be found here:
http://www.stamps.org/Services/ser_TAP.htmIt's a great article for those new to US Stamps and even us "old hands" will find it enjoyable.
KirkS