Monsignor Pope Ping!
Seems to me that if you want a book on prayer you would get the Bible.
Ralph Martin’s book is excellent, but it is a very large book and may overwhelm a first time investigator seeking to improve his prayer life.
I always recommend the following:
The Basic Book of Catholic Prayer: How to Pray and Why by Lawrence G. Lovasik. Especially good for Catholic traditionalists.
Prayer For Beginners by Peter Kreeft
Jacques Phillipe, Time for God.
All three are excellent, very thought provoking aids to prayer.
And if someone is looking for books to use for meditation:
If you want to meditate following the 1970 Mass readings, nothing in the world today is better than this:
https://www.amazon.com/Conversation-God-Meditations-Each-Year/dp/0906138191
If you want to follow the 1962 Mass/Breviary readings:
https://www.amazon.com/Church-Meditations-Missal-Breviary/dp/B00EWS4K8O/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1472135187&sr=1-1&keywords=mathias+goossens
Between the two I would pick With The Church by Fr. Goossens. His meditations are wonderful, packed with scriptural insights, and the book is small enough to carry around easily (compared to Divine Intimacy). By the way, if you read French, you can get the book for a pittance: Hardback: https://www.amazon.com/Cum-Ecclesia-M%C3%A9ditations-Textes-Br%C3%A9viaire/dp/B0018BIR0K/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1472135270&sr=1-3&keywords=mathias+goossens
I don’t need a book describing, explaining or teaching me how to talk to my Dad .. !
I already have a book on prayer...
its called the Bible...
I find that God listens to me if I talk.......then I must remember to listen to Him
I don’t need someone else’s words to tell what is on my heart
I just ordered it.
By the way, for those Protestants who mistakenly believe the Bible is a book on prayer, or think they need or should not desire any other book on prayer than the Bible even though the Bible is not a book on prayer, I highly recommend you at least get a Bible that is dedicated to the study of prayer. I thought this was very good: https://www.amazon.com/Prayer-Bible-Modern-Translation/dp/0768404339/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1472136796&sr=1-1&keywords=prayer+bible There’s really nothing like it. I have a copy around here somewhere.
The book seems fairly good, but is one to read a bit at a time and think about and pray over.
Or you could just follow Jesus' instructions:
Matt 6:5-15
5
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.9
"This, then, is how you should pray:"'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10
your kingdom come,your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11
Give us today our daily bread.12
Forgive us our debts,as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13
And lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from the evil one.'
a14
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
NIV