When planning and setting up my new lawns, I bought this book, The Lawn Expert (Hessayon), and Lawns, Path and Patios (Titchmarsh). Of the three, I have used this one least so far. That's not because it is a poor book, but because it took a less hand-holding approach than the other two books in regard to setting up a lawn. I guess I'm not much of a gardener.
However, this book is really good when it comes to information about maintaining the lawn. It contains a very thorough month-by-month plan for everything that you need to do to keep the lawn healthy, happy, weed-free and green. Its aeration section beats the other two books, and it doesn't get itself bogged down in unnecessary detail. Where the The Lawn Expert feels the need to describe all kinds of mowers, this book just gets on with a couple of the ones you are most likely to use.
Though it is priced to match The Lawn Expert (Titchmarsh's book is cheaper), don't let its fewer pages deter you. It is a better organised book, that just gets on with it. So, for getting ready to lay a new lawn, it's not perhaps the strongest book, but for the long-term business of keeping a lawn in good condition all year round, this is the book.