Nunn's Chess Openings

Nunn's Chess Openings is an up to date and complete compendium of modern opening practice. While it does not (and cannot) have the depth of specialized openings monographs, it should serve as a useful substitute for those without the inclination or the money to purchase a ream of more specialized works. Beyond that, it provides a lot of good analytical work by four good chess authors. 552 pages.