Turn Left at Orion (Consolmagno & Davis)

One of the classic introductory texts for the amateur astronomer. Instead of relying on astrophotography, this guide provides simplified diagrams of the night sky with instructions how to locate objects that feel more like terrestrial map navigation in how they are followed. There’s definitely a learning curve, but this one pairs nicely with Nightwatch (Dickinson & Hewitt-White, another traditional starting text for astronomy) and the SkySafari app. Makes a great gift for folks of any level of expertise when it comes to stargazing.