I think this is a fantastic book for the beginning fly tier. When you're first starting out, it's easy to get overwhelmed and frustrated by the sheer quantity and variety of patterns and materials that are out there. This book gives you a concrete place to start without biting off more than you can chew. If you work your way through this book from beginning to end, you'll gain a superb foundation in essential patterns and techniques and have a nice supply of great, trout-catching flies to boot. And hell, truth be told, even with a few years of tying under my belt, I still refer back to this book every now and then. I highly recommend it.