Astronomy: A Beginner's Guide to the Universe

by David Marshall

This book is really good for a first timer and you will not require any knowledge of astronomy in advance.

The average person with a basic education can select this one and just be guided from the first chapters where the fundamentals of spectroscopy and gravitation are explained, followed by an in depth explanation of neighboring planets, our stars and the rest of the milky way, ending with the last few chapters that deal with such subject matter such as black holes and general relativity.

You won't go wrong with this one!