Looking for a Chinese Cookbook for a Beginner

[C. sapidus]

Also, for someone who likes spicy food, would this books be a good choice:

http://www.amazon.com/Land-Plenty-Treasury...83686436&sr=8-1

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Fuchsia Dunop's Land of Plenty is an awesome cookbook, and one of my favorites. I prefer it slightly to her Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook, although you can't go wrong with either one. The deciding factor would be whether you like the mouth-numbing (and to my taste, mouth-watering) flavor of Sichuan peppercorns.

[HKDave]

Try to get a hold of the old Time-Life Foods of the World Series and get the book, "The Cooking of China".  It's an excellent primer and it's very well written.

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I'd second that; not just well-written but also great photography. It's a good 'about' book in addition to being a 'how-to' book. You can often find old Time-Life cookbooks in Salvation Army stores and there are copies of "The Cooking of China" on eBay (at the moment) for under $2. If you can get it with the companion spiral-bound recipe booklet, even better.

I second or third the recommendation of Dunlop's "Land of Plenty"; it's the standard on Sichuan cooking.