What is the must read book for beginners?
John Palmer “How to Brew” - most of it is a available online for free but you can buy a newer edition also.
1+ get the paper version because you will refer to it often. After you have read this one, a couple of times then almost any of the other brewing books will be next.
I don’t know if this is the full book on Palmers website or what, but there’s definitely a bunch of info here:
http://www.howtobrew.com/sitemap.html+1 palmers - how to brew. Buy it - definitely worth it and easier to get to info you want than flipping through on line. I have bought all of the “best” books over the past 15 years, and (IMO) this one is definitely the best.