A very good book that gives you sound beginnings in combating the English, Reti, King's Indian Attack and even Bird's Opening, an odd one you'll see quite regularly at clubs here and there. Palliser does a good job of laying out what the openings are trying to accomplish and then how to combat these ideas in straight-forward, clear explanations. I've run into the Bird's, English, Reti, and Nimzo-Larsen in correspondence online fairly regularly where someone is looking for a bit of a curve-ball to throw and this book is one to have near at hand to refresh the strategies.
Definitely one to put on the shelf if you're playing online and clubs ... most players like to try something different rather than grinding out the same standards over and over. I agree in that it's not only helpful but gives you a fresh look at the old board.
Beating Unusual Chess Openings by Richard Palliser is certainly not for the beginner, as it’s quite complex. Personally, I found it useful and full of great ideas on how to deal with off-beat White openings. There’s a lot of sub-variations, in fact so many sidelines that it’s not recommendable to consume it all in one go. This time, I focused on the mainlines. When I read the book again, I’m going to delve into all the sidelines that are presented here.
A large portion of the book is devoted to the Symmetrical English, as that is the system one is bound to meet the most of the ones covered in this book. However, other systems also get their fair share of attention, such as the Nimzo-Larsen Attack, the Orangutang, and the Grob.