The Complete Chess Course by Fred Reinfeld
If there were only 1 chess book you could reccomend what would it be ?

The Complete Chess Course by Fred Reinfeld
That's an old book, but I cut my teeth on it decades ago. I'm going back through it right now, trying to get back into the swing. His game examples lack the source, and some are perhaps "created" for the purposes of illustration, but as a one book solution, I think it's a worthy candidate.

Hello again,
Its been a couple years now since this post and I have steadily progressed in chess. I have found that " The Life and games of Mikhail Tal" assisted me in this adventure. I appreciate everyones input.
There's no way I could only recommend just one... so I'll list 5:
The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal - Just completely enjoyable!
The Soviet Chess Primer - WAY better than the "Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess" dreck
Zurich 1953 - Incredible collection of incredible games by incredible players!
Secrets of Pawn Endings (Muller) - Dense and "dry", but completely fascinating
My System & Chess Praxis - A bit dated, but essential reading for any serious player
Those would be my "Desert Island" choices... but I'd be tempted to sneak Kasparov's 5 Vol. "Predecessors" set into the bag too!

A list of good chess books for anyone who has not yet added "Master" to their chess title...(from beginner to expert)....
https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/good-chess-books-for-beginners-and-beyond
Thanks^