I threw in the vote for Eng's "For Dummies" entry. Not terribly sexy but doesn't adhere to any gimmick and lays it all out for people new to the game. I've also read the Davidowitz and Crist books; they were more useful after I played for a while. Even now the Davidowitz book kind of rambles like an old man telling tales rather than a primer for the track; the good info is buried and seems outmoded by stats that point out the same things like key races. But it's probably the most comprehensive tome out there. Going exotic right out of the gate captivated me and led me astray as a beginner, although Crist's book is a very good treatise on that topic. Eng covers all the basics and still serves as a good reference for stuff I skipped like conditions. I'd like to check out Free's 101 book, that could be a good suggestion, I just haven't read it.
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