Chess for Dummies , by James Eade Light in tone, but you can't ask for much more from an introductory book on chess that is also full of fascinating insights for advanced beginners. Will improve your game and entertain.

Intermediate

Modern Chess Openings , by Walter Korn, Nick De Firmian (Editor)
Better known as MCO, this 60 year old tome has been called "the chess player's bible" and contains in-depth analysis of all the major chess openings currently in use-- and several minor ones. This 13th edition is a fully revised and greatly expanded version of Korn's classic work by International Grandmaster Nick De Firmian. One important and welcome update over earlier editions is the incorporation of algebraic notation, making the book useful to a wider range of readers. Divided into five major segments covering symmetrical King's Pawn openings, semi-open King's Pawn defenses, Queen's Pawn openings, Indian Defense systems, and flank openings.

Intermediate to Expert

Think Like a Grandmaster : Algebraic Edition , by Alexander Kotov
Kotov's work was the first I had ever seen which literally taught the reader how to analyze. Many chess books show you a few flashy combinations and exhort you to be ever-on-your-guard, but Kotov's book is on a different level altogether: he literally shows you how to select candidate moves, gives advice on how to organize your thinking, and demonstrates why different positions, even complex positions, may call for different _kinds_ of analysis. There are also quiz positions to test your analytical abilities.
There's a lot more to the book; Kotov discusses various center formations, gives advice on selecting an opening repertoire in terms of the types of center one prefers, discusses endgame technique, and even talks about handling the clock in tournament chess. It demands some hard work, but the improvement is worth it.
Reviewed by Tim McGrew.

Pawn Power in Chess , by Hans Kmoch
This is a treatise on pawns, and it is a wonderfully good book -- worth dipping into again and again. Though Kmoch does coin and use a few awkward neologisms ("leucopenia," for example, referring to white square weaknesses), they are not as pervasive as some reviewers would make it seem and did not impede my understanding of the book when I was in highschool. There are whole sections on different pawn structures: the King's Indian pawn structure, the Dutch Stonewall pawn structure, Dragon formations, and so forth. Kmoch not only directs the reader's attention to the key features of the positions, he also often presents a set of complete games with light notes to illustrate the themes being worked out in practice.
Reviewed by Tim McGrew.

Grandmaster Secrets Endings , by Andrew Soltis