There are many, many introductory books about Buddhism with similar titles so, if you're interested in this one, you might want to note this book's full title: BUDDHISM FOR BEGINNERS: PLAIN AND SIMPLE GUIDE TO BUDDHIST PHILOSOPHY INCLUDING ZEN TEACHINGS, TIBETAN BUDDHISM AND MINDFULNESS MEDITATION. Quite a mouthful but it actually lives up to its promise.
It's a solid, easy-to-understand non-fiction introduction for anyone like me interested in learning more about the Buddhist way of life. It reads like a basic textbook.
BUDDHISM FOR BEGINNERS is short (122 pages), well-organized, and offers a more than satisfactory overview. Which is quite a considerable accomplishment given the sheer volume of Buddhist material that exists, not to mention all the different translations over the centuries. Buddhism does, after all, date from the 5th century BCE and is the world's fourth largest religion, with 520 million followers.
Author Judith Yandell's intro includes a bit of history about the philosophy's origins, a review of its fundamental beliefs and practices, an exploration into the importance of meditation (along with an example of how to begin), and an explanation of the key concepts of karma and rebirth. (Rebirth, you will learn, is different from the Hindu belief in reincarnation.)
Yandell organizes the basic beliefs and practices according to number, devoting a chapter to each:
Under Three:
three universal truths, three jewels of refuge, three higher trainings
Under Four:
four noble truths, four Dharma Seals
Under Five:
five precepts, five Skandhas
Under Six:
six perfections of Mahayana Buddhism, ten perfections of Theravada Buddhism (Yes, I realize ten is not six.)
Overall, a handy introduction that I heartily recommend.