Esperanto: Learning and Using the International Language, by David Richardson

I didn’t realize it fully at the time, but the reader in the second half of this book is top-notch. Of course, Zamenhof’s few original poems are there, but you also get readings from his letters about creating the language, and a short biographical piece. There are running serials of correspondence and travel logs which is decent reading. Among the last of the selections are William Auld’s poem Ebrio and excerpts from Baghy’s Sur Sanga Tero and Tibor Sekelj’s book about his travels in the Amazon–all of which were originally composed in Esperanto.

My two textbook recommendations for new learners would be this book and the now out-of-print 3rd edition of Teach Yourself Esperanto. From these you can go straight into real Esperanto literature.