What good, affordable beginner's book would you recommend for someone who would like to learn Japanese?

Answer 1

Try "Japanese for busy people". This is a 3 volume set
with tapes of all the lessons that takes you from
rank beginner to the intermediate level.

Answer 2

I'd recommend Gene Nishi's "Japanese Step by Step : An Innovative Approach to Speaking and Reading Japanese ". I started with it and in a couple of hours was already putting sentences together. All begginner to intermediate grammar and vocabulary is in there and it is presented in a manner that really sinks into your brain. It is also very affordable, runs for like $11 at amazon. Good luck!