what is a good chess book for a beginner ? (sub 1000)

... Complete Chess Course [by Reinfeld] ... in book 7, 1.e4, the first opening introduced is the Center game:

1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Qxd4 Nc6
" White’s game is discredited from the very start by his premature development of the queen. This enables Black to seize the initiative at move 3 by counterattacking against the white queen. Not recommended for White "

Next is Danish Gambit

1.e4 e5 2.d4 exd4 3.c3

" This dashing attempt to seize the attack by sacrificing two pawns can yield White a very powerful attack if Black does not defend carefully. However, as you will see, Black has several satisfactory defenses. Consequently, the Danish should be ventured only against weak opponents. "

So, beginners like me can easily see that after 2...exd4, if I play as White, I should not play 3.Qxd4. Instead, I should play 3.c3

... Soviet Middle Technique ...