A classic, but not the best
I bought this book because it is "classic" by James Beard, but it is not the best book available if you want to learn to bake bread. If you really want to learn to make good breads of varied types, I would highly recommend that you buy yourself a scale and then get a copy of "Baking Artisan Bread" by Ciril Hitz. You will learn the art of "artisan" breads and bake amazing breads right from the start.