The Motley Fool Personal Finance Workbook by David and Tom Gardner. Short, smart, practical and only a little silly.

Making the Most of Your Money by Jane Bryant Quinn. Smart advice from our favorite.

Get a Financial Life by Beth Kobliner. Perfect for Gen-Xers’ supershort attention spans.

The Ernst & Young Tax Guide 2003 A full 750 pages of tax minutiae.

Morningstar Guide to Mutual Funds by Christine Benz, Peter Di Teresa and Russel Kinnel. A basic intro to mutual funds.

Common Sense on Mutual Funds by John C. Bogle, of the Vanguard mutual-fund monolith.

‘Honey, I’ve Shrunk the Bills!’ by Jack Weber. Corny title but real money-saving info on shopping.

Take Control of Your Student Loan Debt by Robin Leonard and Deanne Loonin. Pay for that diploma.

60-Second Investor by Charles B. Carlson. For folks with little time and even less money.

Credit Card and Debt Management by Scott Bilker. The math behind the plastic.