"Principles of Marketing" is regarded among most academics as the fundamental starting point for students of their discipline.
It is easy to understand and digest and is backed up by numerous practical examples to give credence to the basics of theory being described.
The focus is predominantly on mainstream marketing, with less attention paid to charity or database marketing techniques but provides a helpful entry point into more detailed techniques.
Despite its intimidating size and volume of content this book comes highly recommended to beginners in the fields of academia or marketing practice alike.