For a simple introduction into how compilers work and how to create your own programming language I would recommend the new book http://createyourproglang.comhttp://createyourproglang.com which focuses more on language design theory without having to know about OS/CPU internals, i.e. lexers, parsers, interpreters, etc.
It uses the same tools that were used to create the recently popular Coffee Script and Fancy programming languages.
