Backyard Beekeeper (5th ed.)

This book, by author Kim Flottum, is the text we use for our Beginner Beekeeping courses.  It is the best book we've found for taking an absolute beginner through the essential terms, equipment, and information one needs to start up a hive or two of honeybees and manage hives on a small scale.  The thing we like best about this text is how no assumption is made that you know anything about a beehive. (208 pages, soft cover)