 | Play Winning Chess by Yasser Seirawan
Buy new: $13.57 / Used from: $5.95 If you kinda learned it as a child, but forgot everything, this book is for you, as it was for me. Highly recommended for the serious beginner.
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 | The Complete Idiot's Guide To Chess by Christopher;Wolff, Patrick Chabris
Buy used from: $0.17 Somewhat better than Chess for Dummies, and very cheap used.
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 | Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess by Bobby Fischer
Buy new: $7.99 / Used from: $0.93 Kids love this since it has no notation. Just pictures on the flip pages to show the answers. Not bad for adults either!
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 | Chess (Teach Yourself) by William Hartston
Buy used from: $0.52 A mediocre adult book. Teach Yourself Better Chess, the follow-on, is excellent. But I don't like this first book at all. That's just me.
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 | The Everything Chess Basics Book (Everything Series) by Peter Kurzdorfer
Buy new: $11.66 / Used from: $0.10 I'm not sure of the audience, but I highly recommend this book. Maybe for a novice who knows he wants to play in tournaments, so maybe it is good for scholastic players--high school probably.
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 | Complete Chess Player by Fred Reinfeld
Buy new: $13.00 / Used from: $0.01 Like a college course. Really, that's how it feels. Very cheap used. Avoid Complete Chess Course by Reinfeld; you'd spend all your time studying openings there.
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 | Starting Chess (Discovering Chess) by Tony Gillam
Buy used from: $0.77 Simple, and just reprinted (though not yet available via Amazon--look for this and other Gillam books on the web).
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 | Square One: A Chess Drill Book for Beginners (Fireside Chess Library) by Bruce Pandolfini
Buy new: $17.95 / Used from: $0.33 A good way for an adult to teach a child is to go over this book with him. However, this is too elementary for young adults.
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 | Chess: 5334 Problems, Combinations, and Games by Laszlo Polgar
Buy used from: $20.98 If you have a poor young relative who does not speak English and probably can never afford to buy his own chess books, get him this. It will last him a lifetime. And it's a beautiful book!
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 | Chess Fundamentals (Algebraic) by Jose Raul Capablanca
Buy new: $10.85 / Used from: $5.95 If you know the rules, and you know more about history than you do about the game, you will be enlightened and inspired by Capablanca, the great Chess Machine.
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 | The Simon & Schuster Pocket Book of Chess by Raymond Keene
Buy used from: $0.01 Very nice looking cover and color diagrams inside. A good gift. Extremely cheap used!
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 | Easy Guide to Chess by B. H. Wood
Buy new: $11.95 / Used from: $0.01 When I returned to the game after several years, I used this book, and I recommend it.
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 | Guide to Good Chess by C. J. S. Purdy
Buy used from: $89.99 Many people enjoy Purdy, and you can learn a lot from this book. However, it is not for complete novices. (N.B. The Amazon reviews are under a different edition.)
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 | Starting Out in Chess by Byron Jacobs
Buy new: $14.95 / Used from: $0.01 Not bad. Comparable to Seirawan and much more compact.
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 | Kids' Book of Chess and Chess Set by Harvey Kidder
Buy new: $10.85 / Used from: $0.01 Comes with a chess board. Very convenient, and still cheap.
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 | Chess for Kids by Michael Basman
Buy new: $9.35 / Used from: $0.01 I'm not sure that a book is the best way to teach a child. But for this sort of book, here is a good one.
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 | Secrets of the Russian Chess Masters: Fundamentals of the Game, Volume 1 by Lev Alburt
Buy new: $13.57 / Used from: $9.32 This one is very visual, but not childish. Apparently, it's how Russian children learn. Anyway, it should be good for a teenager who is just starting the game.
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 | Comprehensive Chess Course Volume II: From Beginner to Tournament Player in 12 Lessons (Comprehensive Chess Course) by Roman Pelts
Buy new: $24.75 / Used from: $11.95 Lots of people like this whole course. Personally, I like only the endgame book and the 300-position training pocketbook. But Volume 2 is great if you're motivated. Skip volume 1.
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 | Chess: Tactics and Strategies by Graham Burgess
Buy new: $9.99 / Used from: $3.42 Hardcover reprint of Mammoth Bk of Chess, 1st ed. Good,inexpensive,all-in-one book to last you a couple of years.NOT for beginners.Intermediates will love the discussions of openings and common traps.
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 | Learn Chess in a Weekend by Ken Whyld
Buy used from: $0.19 If you are playing Capablanca in a movie and need to learn the basics quickly, buy this book. Perspective photos of real chessboards, with arrows, make learning a snap.
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| An Invitation to Chess by Irving Chernev
Buy used from: $0.01 This classic uses birds-eye photos. Needs to be re-printed, but otherwise great for both children and adult novices. Used copies are practically free!
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 | Chess for Juniors: A Complete Guide for the Beginner by Robert M. Snyder
Buy used from: $37.49 Possibly the best book to start with. Very clear and comprehensive. If you like it, follow it up with Unbeatable Chess Lessons, also by Snyder.
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 | Concise Chess: The Compact Guide for Beginners by John Emms
Buy new: $12.95 / Used from: $0.01 1st half is great for beginning adults. 2nd half is challenging but accessible to advanced beginners. With plenty of diagrams, a good choice for airport reading.
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 | Winning Chess Strategy for Kids by Jeff Coakley
Buy new: $29.95 / Used from: $16.94 Quite a good book for youngsters. Can take beginning children to advanced-beginner level.
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 | Mensa Guide to Chess: 30 Days to Great Chess by Burt Hochberg
Buy used from: $0.01 If you are not interested in becoming good, but only want to know the language of chess, get this book.
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