For the beginner I would recommend COLLINS STARS & PLANETS.
See here ...
http://www.bintel.com.au/Accessories...oductview.aspx
It's relatively cheap ($40). Has full sky maps for each month of the year. Has maps of individual constellations (the whole 88) and descriptions of interesting objects within each constellation and located on the maps. Also has some nice pictures. When I got back into astronomy, I literally wore my copy out.
Regards, Rob