If you are new to baking and want 1 cookbook that covers the bases, this would be a good choice. It includes the staples (brownies, chocolate chip cookies, basic cakes), breakfast worthy (muffins, loafs and scones) and delectable desserts (the chocolate pudding looked fantastic as well as some of those layered cakes!). The instructions are detailed and the ingredient list is manageable and practical for almost every recipe. Each recipe includes the background for the idea and gave me a real appreciation for the author.