Easy-to-go-through chess book

I'm looking to buy a particular book and hope someone can recommend one (if it exists) for me with these or most of these characteristics:

• Easy-to-go-through book. (In other words, does not require or requires a limited use of the chess board. This does not mean that the book cannot be complicated). For someone who is generally a serious player but has limit time which to devote to chess books.
• For a generally experienced player (roughly 1400 USCF, give or take 200-300).
• Book which genuinly has something to teach me and is not a waste of time.
• Easy to carry when traveling (not a giant book that won't fit into limited space). 
• Note: I'm sure there are a ton books on tactics, but unless it is a particularly brilliant one, I'm really looking for something not on tactics.

This one might interest you:

http://www.amazon.com/Chess-Exam-Training-Guide-Yourself/dp/0975476122

101 Endgame Tips by Giddins..

Looks good but there's one thing I'd like to know before I buy. Does it just give me a rating, what areas I need to work on, books for those areas, and etc or does it have something to teach me too? I'll read some reviews.

dont think you can beat Logical move by move buy Irving Chernev. easy to read and understand plus some great games. and very cheap to buy off Amerson good luck.

Just started this one, seems to fit most of your criteria.

Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess is all diagrams.

 A fun book for working out endgame tactics is Van Perlo's Endgame Tactics.Among opening books, the "Move by Move" series has quite a few diagrams. But the ones I've seen were for more advanced players (~1900-2300 strength).

Silmans Complete Endgame coarse I would recommend for under 1600 rated players wanting to improve this part of the game, it's also a lot of fun to read and is a easy read (The book isn't small though). Some tactics books I've read "Susan Polgars chess tactics for champions", "1000 Checkmate combinations" <--- my favourite tactics book (I don't know why people say the book is difficult but it's fun and really teaches a lot of checkmate combinations, "Forcing chess moves" also a good book, but not such a easy read. If your looking for stradegy then I reccomend getting a small anotated book with one of your favourite players. Like "Alekhines best games" (you might need a board for some of the anotated books). If your just looking for a good chess book thats a fun, easy and small (Well I'm also looking for a chess book that good). But the book "Pal Benko" by Silman is a facinating book to read, fun enjoyable, but challenging and it's a big book. 

Could you maybe be a little more descriptive about your objection?

It's notation isn't descriptive enough.

Nah, it doesn't just grade you and give you advice on what areas you need to focus on.  The process of working your way through the book will teach you.  It's essentially a puzzle book that uses multiple choice questions to arrive at scores in various components of chess skill.   Attempting to solve the puzzles will improve your game, and Khmelnitsky does a good job of explaining not only why certain of the multiple choices are right but also why other choices are wrong or less right than the best answer.  There's a lot of chess instruction packed into the answer sections.

It's also clearly a book that the author has spent a lot of time producing and not just something that a publisher assigned him with a deadline to pump out a book.

Thanks for all the help. Decided to go with:

The chess exam book is great, but it should include a much better way to calculate the results... pfff..

There's a Chess Exam calculation spreadsheet for Excel that can be purchased ($5) from the author's website. The website is sort of a mess to find things at. Second from the bottom of the page at this link for the spreadsheet for that particular book:

http://www.chessexam.com/Exam/submission.htm

One book not mentioned in this thread but often cited on this site is "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess" by Wolff. Of all the criteria you mention, it's ability to be read almost completely without setting up a board is one of it's outstanding qualities. Wolff gives a great deal of instruction in the various chapters, and then his quizzes at the end of each chapter reinforce the learning tremendously.

I'm currently working my way through the strategy/positional chapters, having polished off the tactics chapters pretty handily, and I can tell you that there's a LOT in these sections that I'll have to work pretty hard to master.

I've got the one by Wolf. Now if would only study it.

you should have a look at "test your positional play" really exellent book which you don;t need a board for.

About Capablanca´s book and above Mr Bobyyyy´s note objecting the algebraic notation, Mr Splitleaf asks (reacts rather) the reason for such objection.

Mr Slitleaf I will try to explains with a couple of quetions...

Inagine an emply board in front of you. . . (eyes closed)

.---What is the algebric notacion of a square placed three bkocks dawn from the Blacks Tower that has been moved two places to its right

---...What is the classical notacion of a square placed three bkocks dawn from the Blacks Tower that has been moved two places to its right, that is to the initial Black king bishop place?´

IN the first case you reason like his---BKT originally is on column 8 left. to right. (a.b.c.d.e.f.g.h) that is "h"- It has been moved two places to its righr (minus gh) which means "f". As is said it should be "f8 or 8f). Now it is indicated three blocks down which means "f8-3)" but . . . . when you count those three, is it 8-7-6 or 8-(7-6-5)

In the "older" "unusefull" and "decrepit" system the answer would have been, simply,

---...KB4 meaning fourth place from Blacks King Bishop (logicaly Blacks moves towards White- - - notice the three points I placed... before KB4)

if you find it hard to remember the squares of the board you should probably just give up.