You can use 16×2 alphanumeric display….its very simple to interface…check this link to know how to interface lcd to 8051 controller: http://www.dnatechindia.com/Tutorial/8051-Tutorial/Interfacing-LCD-to-8051.html
here is a link for code in C language: http://www.dnatechindia.com/Code-Library/C-Code-Library/LCD-INTERFACING-TO-8051-IN-8-BIT-MODE.html
and here is a link for code in assembly language: http://www.dnatechindia.com/Code-Library/8051-Assembly/LCD-Interfacing-To-8051-in-8-bit-mode.html