What is a good Aikido book for a beginner?

I started Aikido a couple months ago, and am interested in reading more about it. I want a good book with illustrations/pictures and names of the techniques. It is confusing to try to remember all the moves, and I want to be able to study more. Please give me some suggestions. Thank you!|||One of the finest books on Aikido for the Westerner is %26quot;Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere%26quot;. It has been around since the 70%26#039;s, but it%26#039;s a classic. It contains history, philosophy, technical specifications, finely drawn imagery, and stories. It is quite a read, and is more scholarly than nearly any other Aikido book on the market. It should be a basic in any Aikido library.|||Books in my martial arts library relevant directly to Aikido:





General (philosophical, tactical and historical):


-The Analects of Confucius, Confucious


-The Art of Peace; Morihei Ueshiba O%26#039;Sesnei


-The Art of War; Sun Tzu


-Book of Five Rings/Book of Family Traditions on the Art of War; Miyamoto Mushashi/Yagyu Munenori


-Cheng Hsin - The Principles of Effortless Power; Peter Ralston


-Hagakure, Tsuetomo Yamamoto


-Tao Te Ching; Lao Tzu


-The Secrets of the Samurai; Adele Westbrook, Oscar Ratti


-The Tao of Pooh; Benjamin Hoff


-The Te of Piglet; Benjamin Hoff


-Zen in the Art of Archery





Aikido (philosophical and technical - both important):


-Aikido; Kisshomaru Ueshiba Doshu


-Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere; Adele Westbrook, Oscar Ratti


-Aikido and the Harmony of Nature; Mitsugi Saotome Shihan


-The Art of Aikido; Kisshomaru Ueshiba Doshu


-Budo Training in Aikido; Morihei Ueshiba O%26#039;Sensei


-The Principles of Aikido; Mitsugi Saotome Shihan|||I concur with Murakumo above, I have a copy of that book and the fact that it was written by westerners who studied aikido, makes it a lot easier to comprehend and gives a better insight into the art compared to english translations of books written by japanese masters.|||While not confined to aikido per se, Comprehensive Asian Fighting Arts, by Donn Draeger, is a book I highly recommend.|||Great answers. I too have to agree that regardless of the paticular style of Aikido you study, The Dynamic Sphere is the best. I would also suggest Total Aikido by Gozo Shioda, and The Structure of Aikido by Gakku Homma.