Kasparov's My Great Predecessors... heh, no, I'd recommend Schiller's "First Chess Openings." That was my first book and I turned out all right.
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Rather than an opening book, I would suggest buying a tactics / puzzle book, such as "Killer Chess Tactics" by Schiller, Keene, and Shamkovich.
Other than that, I might suggest "Chess tactics for Champions" by Susan Polgar.
Both are great tactic overviews, very helpful for beginners.
I'd Laskers Manual of Chess 21st century edition great book!
I would say try the lessons here and then get yourself a copy of chessmaster xi which can be found amazingly cheaply for much less than a book and do the tutorials in there. Of course, it could be that you specifically want a book for some reason, in which case I'm afraid this answer's not going to be very helpful. 
hey everyone,
i am a beginner rated around 1250 on chess.com and i was looking for a good all-around book to help me improve. any suggestions?