Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Catechism of the Catholic Church was first published in 1992. It was written by a number of individuals, among them Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., known for his own tome The Catholic Catechism, published in the 1980s. The CCC bears the Imprimi Potest of none other than Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger.
I have a well thumbed paperback edition, but find myself using the online edition posted here on the Vatican's site. The electronic version is very easy to search and I have a version of the CCC on my Palm, which means it's always with me to research those difficult to answer, "why does the Church say that..." questions I always seem to get from teens.
Earlier this year the Church published a kind of primer version of the 900 page CCC, called the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. This smaller volume is on my Christmas list which hasn't prevented me from downloading it on my Palm.
The compendium starts with the Apostles Creed. The Creed, which probably originated as early as the second century is used by many Christian denominations. The compendium then discusses the sacraments, starting with the liturgy. next comes life in Christ, and finally Christian Prayer.
The Appendixes includes a list of common prayers, in both Latin and the vernacular, both the United States and Canadian versions in the English translation. They also include what the Compendium calls the Formulas Of Catholic Doctrine, which include things like the Beatitudes and the Seven gifts of the Holy spirit. The printed version also includes some beautiful illustration plates in full color.
Spend some time reading the Compendium. Unlike the CCC itself it is quite possible to read the entire Compendium in just s few hours.