OK we have a thread open about recommended reading. How about books to pass on? I'm not just talking about Ashida Kim-style "Budo Fun" books either... I mean the ones that are supposed to be some serious book and either provide the most basic information that one night in a dojo could provide or instead focus on how awesome some particular style or person is.
The one I'd like to provide for this list is "Zen and the Art of Streetfighting" by Jack Sabat. I got this book as a Christmas present, and even though the picture of the "commando-man" on the cover sent up a red flag for me, I figured there might be something worthwhile inside, since authors don't have control on the cover art generally. I think I got through the first five or six chapters until I decided "to hell with it!" The whole book is written in this arrogant tone, where the author basically tries to tell us how awesome he is for sticking with martial arts for so long. He trained in a Vietnamese jungle! yippee for him. To quote a review on this book from Barnes and Noble's website that I thought fit - "egotistical, abrasive, and a writing style that is illogical and poorly edited." I couldn't agree more.