Trading Books

Although the book isn't specific to one particular style, it's assumed to be Kyokushin karate as it's written by the founder himself (Oyama). It's a good book, but keep in mind that it's very very basic (which is important). The sanchin dachi basics are covered and some useful conditioning exercises as well but it's mostly out dated. The pinan katas are covered (which are shotokan katas). In reading this book, I can really appreciate how much kyokushin karate has evolved. No low kicks are demonstrated and no mawashi-geri with a follow through or Brazilian Kick are shown or mentioned. Low kicks are not trivial to execute and require lots of practice. I think these kicks were developed later mostly as a result of the rules of Kyokushin fighting. It's interesting and provides good food for thought. Kyokushin founder Mas Oyama was not a good kicker himself, but encouraged his students to kick. Today, Kyokushin Karate and it's derivatives have some of the most dynamic and effective kicking techniques in all of the martial arts. And I say this as someone who has over 20 years of experience in tae kwon do.

I ordered this book and I recieved it read it and gave it to my friend max lee its a wonderful book for students and non student good foundations love the original cover red with feather and content exept when the pictures doesn't match when they stated kickin is punchin ,and punch is kickin on the picture!

This is the Book,that telling us all about the Oyama Dojo in
1950's! In those days,Kyokushin Karate was "The strongest standing fighting system on whole Earth! They punching to the face,takedown,grappling.... You know that Kyokushin Karate was
changed after they held all Japan,and world tournaments!
And keep in mind that 'what is karate'had several revisions.
I bought 'Mastering karate'in eBay,I found out that this is same book as 'what is karate completly New edition'!
Continue your training. OSU!

I was lucky to find this 1957/58 book cheap at a local used bookstore with a worn dust jacket but beautiful interior.

The book is filled with pictures, a few in color, added just for their beauty. Some pictures are of the author with various people that I guess were famous back then. However, there are plenty of pictures illustrating techniques and forms.

Oyama says that if you can master the 4 forms he gives in the book, you can consider yourself a "first grader" of Karate. Of course, if you get into Karate you will want to join a dojo and use the kata they teach. At the time Oyama was writing, however, there would have been few dojos for westerners. Also, if for some reason you aren't ready to join a dojo or don't have the money, I don't suppose it would hurt you any to practice these on your own.

There is a short section on training. Clearly, Oyama values repetition in training. He says he benchpressing 175 lbs. 300 times a day, and in his other training advice he recommends doing various exercises hundreds of times per day. If you followed his general training recommendations minus the karate-specific stuff, you would certainly be in good physical condition, but this would also be a time-consuming workout.

I don't know if there is something magical about the number 300, but he also says that to master a form will take practicing it at least 300 times.

Unfortunately, he writes many more words about himself than he does in describing the karate techniques, but as they say "a picture says a thousand words".

Of course, the autobiographical sections are interesting too. The author is not shy about showing off his abilities as others have noted. Of course, he is also humble enough to say that when ye was a youth he was not particularly strong and says that anyone who masters Karate can perform similar feats.

With statements like that, it is no wonder that his book made such a hit when it became available at a time when Karate was still relatively unknown in the west. I can imagine dreamy westerners thinking that they too would soon be smashing stones with their bare hands.

I have to admit that I was a bit turned off by the pictures of his bull-fighting. It is one thing to show off by breaking boards and rocks, but picking on innocent dumb animals seems cruel. Those were different times though.

Anyway, his Karate is not all showing off. There are practical sections on self-defense that include picture sequences demonstrating defense against attackers with knife and pistol.

This is definitely a classic that leaves one wanting more.

The most influencial book ever published in English on Karate instruction. After repeated inquires for "a good Karate book" from foreigners visiting the author in Japan and the requests he received traveling through North America, Masutatsu Oyama wrote "What is Karate?" because he could not recommend any book that would help his foreign friends understand the real Karate. This book soon became the foundation of the Karate movement in North America. The book is profusely illustrated with B/W photographs and 4 full-page color photographs. The revised 1959 edition is even more scarce and sought after then the original 1959 edition.

This is probably my favorite of all three of the volumes. All of the stories really come to ahead and prepare for the final push. The Supernova story is probably the best story in the book as you finally find out who he is. The Black Adam story hasn't quite got to the climax but, it is close. The story of Dr.Magnus continues to get better. The Question and Montoya storyline really sends you down a sad path but, a very well written story and the art while nothing amazing is good enough.

This is the best volume so far in the series, and I was highly impressed by the tight plotting and narrative flow. The artwork is a little busy at times, but overall is excellent. I still think the series would have benefited from not having the Starfire, Adam Strange, Animal Man plot line, but as that arc is barely touched upon here, the whole series prospered.

Highly recommended.

If you missed the weekly editions, this is a great way to catch up.
There are a lot of different story lines and it seems that some of them get forgotten for a while. I am looking forward to vol. 4 to see how it all gets tied together. Of course you must remember that this is followed by 'Countdown'

For anyone who wants to keep up on what's going on in the DCU, 52 is sort of a necessity. It's the bridge between Infinite Crisis and Countdown to Final Crisis which will be followed by Final Crisis. 52 is perfect for people who suffer with attention deficit disorder or perhaps fans of soap operas. Issues came out weekly and storylines jumped around so much that readers could quickly become bewildered. My understanding is that the much of the series was written as it progressed and it shows. Some of the storylines started off with a lot of promise but withered as the series went on while others lost focus and just wandered aimlessly. The Question/Montoya thread is an example of a story that started off tight with the two of them hunting down Intergang. Next thing you know they're in Kahndaq preventing an assassination and then The Question gets brain cancer and Intergang is completely forgotten as Renee Montoya tries to get him to Nanda Partha for a cure. It just seemed sloppy and unfocussed.

For me, the highlight of this book was without a doubt the big reveal of Supernova's true identity. It wasn't just the highlight of the book it was the highlight of the entire series because it restarted the storyline that got me into 52 in the first place. The second best thing about the third book was how little attention was given to Kahndaq which has been my least favorite storyline. The Intergang thread is really heating up but Ralph Dibney's quest for powerful magic items is starting to grow tiresome and this had been one of my favorite parts of book two. Booster Gold's time travel story is moving again and I couldn't be happier because that was the storyline that originally got me intrigued by 52.

When it gets right down to it the second and third book have not lived up to the promising start in book one and I think it has to do with the way 52 was produced. Without fully plotting out where the stories go they often fall apart. The Luthor/Everyman storyline definitely has that `making it up as we go along' feel to it. Book four is really going to have to hit it out of the ballpark to make up for the drag in book two and book three. I can't say I regret buying 52 but it's unlikely that it will go down as one of my favorite series unless the final book has a total stellar ending.

DC's 52 was highly ambitious, which made me more than a little nervous, since projects as big as these usually fall flat. With the big three missing, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, DC picks up some acilliary characters and kind of turns them into the modern age superheroes. Really DC is trying to kick start some other books. But they do a good job, especially since there is a book a week. Bravo gentlemen.

This lady's knowledge and talents are utterly wasted at Chez Panisse. She really needs her own creative space where people who would prefer to give Chez Panisse a pass could congregate to enjoy tea in all of its varieties. I would love to enjoy a pot of white tea some afternoon, but the clientele and snobbery of that establishment would ruin it.

This is a pleasantly readable book about tea. Even the serious tea lover can discover new aspects of the beverage, and casual drinkers are sure to learn to appreciate tea more. Even if you're not willing to take as serious an approach to tea as Helen does, this book can teach you some great tips for making and appreciating tea.
My only complaint is that some of the recipes do not yield results quite as good as the author's description of them. Nevertheless, they do make tasty treats for teatime.

This morning I finished reading a lovely book, _The Agony of the Leaves_ by Helen Gustafson, who is the tea buyer for Chez Panisse in Berkeley. The title refers to a description of what happens to tea leaves when boiling water is poured over them; they contort and twist, releasing their flavor.

The book is subtititled "The Ecstasy of My Life in Tea," and it's a charming chatty thing about tea cultivation and technology and history, woven in with reminiscences of tea parties from childhood to middle age. I've been reading it a few minutes at a time, while my tea brews in the morning.

I was afraid this was going to be another restaurant-puffery book, but I was so pleasantly surprised! The engaging stories and accompanying recipes were charming. In fact, I borrowed this book from the library and then ran out and bought three copies to give away as gifts and one copy for myself!

My daughter gave me this book for Christmas two years ago. It was my favorite gift. I would read it every night and jokingly refer to Helen as "my friend." When the night arrived that I read the final page, I truly felt that Helen was my friend. It made me sad that the stories ended and left me wanting to hear more of her wonderful tales of tea. Tea is an important part of my life and I was grateful to find another human being who shares that love and enthusiasm. I would recommend this book to all lovers of tea.

This book is full of good ideas, also none of these are new. The author's excellent work in back testing all the ideas in this book deserves praise.
THE BOOK IS GOOD VALUE.

I bought the book by mistake, please note that it is not a book on "futures" as in Forex but about stock trading systems. I found the book a bit boring with many setups that are all mechnical; this book might works for some but not for the discretionary traders...and if I ever hear another menacing words about fears and greeds just scare people into reading, I might as well close the book and throw it in the corner. All in all, this book might serves your purpose just like the 2 comments written above.

It's interesting how simple Art Collins' systems are, and yet, if we can believe his results, they produce impressive profits anyway. There's no reason to doubt them: Art not only offers verbal assurances, he invites us to test against his results for ourselves. He fully discloses every necessary rule and formula along the way. Some of this book might be hard for neophytes to follow, but with a little work, there should be plenty within the text that's workable for everyone. Maybe one of the best books of this type I've ever read.

This book takes 10 biases, explains their reasoning and gives quantitative back-up for how each does in a Tradestation simulated back-test. Art is a successful mechanical trader so you get a look into how he thinks and how he interprets the results. Each bias is relatively simple and demonstrated to have a small but definable edge across multiple markets.

The aspect to this book that is most interesting is how to integrate these various small biases into a master composite 'index'. As Bob Pardo writes in the Foreward section of this book "indexing can be very powerful... It can be a very effective way to 'summarize' large amounts of complex information."

I find that if I can take just 1 or 2 practical ideas from a book, it is a good book. This book did more than that -- it got me started on 'indexing' for individual stock lists and sparking new directions for me. I highly recommend this book to anyone -- but especially those with some kind of competence in quantitative methods to trading.

The book is quite slim if you notice that there are many tables, and the TS code begins at page 205. The strategies are so simple that the TS code was only useful a few times for confirming the rules that were not completely clear in the text.
The book shows a series of "strategies" and some backtests.
The problem is that all these strategies are extremely simple and very similar to each other. They often involve daytrades, buying the open and selling at the close, or entering on stop at the open +- a buffer. For the majority of the strategies, no slippage and no commissions are taken into account. The problem is that in the real world, they often turn daytrading strategies from apparently good to losers. The author does point out slippage and commissions, but often forget about them in the second half of the book.
The author is easy to please. Many strategies give drawdown of more than 50% of the profit for the confirmation markets. I would not find that a validation, particularly after looking at the equity curve (I did test many of the strategies of the book across many markets).
Of course, robust often means simple, but another problem I find is that all the techniques in the book have been optimized for the period used and often for the selected indexes. For example, a system was reasonably performing from 2001 to 2005 in the book. I tested back from 1995, and the out of sample simulation did not give good results. Using European indexes did not show so nice result as well (I confess I am not as easy to please as the author). The author never looks at the difference between short and long signals. Of course, if the concept is strong, there should be no differences. For the indexes, the fact is the simulation of the combined indicators strategies show that longs are doing well in bull markets and bad in bear markets, the opposite for shorts, of course. Interestingly, the strategy appears to behave reasonably well (without slippage, commissions) only in the optimized time frame. Also, the analysis of the equity curve shows that, in some cases, most of the profits are made in a limited amount of time and the rest of the time it is not productive or counter productive. These very simple strategies heavily rely on optimization.
The concept of strategies aggregation to enhance the probability of success is of course good, though not new.

To summarize, I find the strategies quite weak (after slippage, commissions) and the tests too limited. However, the book is still a very good read for those really wanting to begin in mechanical trading. Many traps of mechanical trading are described. The author does not mislead the reader, though I find him easy to please for the test results.

I did not know anything about trading commodities before I started this book. However, by the end I felt completely with the concept and will likely move forward with diversifying my investment portfolio.

Ms. Holihan does a wonderful job of explaining just what commodities are and how they impact our society. For the novice like me a book Like Ms. Holihan's was exactly what I needed to get started trading in commodities. This book explains concepts with the simplest terms and most importantly, it starts at the beginning. You will learn just what commodities are and how the trading of them became common practice.

Ms. Holihan does not imply in any way that you will get rich quick or that this is an easy form of investing. But the message that she does deliver, and with success, is that anyone willing to put in the study time can make investing in commodities a successful venture. YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE MARKET.

Ms. Holihan also uses case studies throughout her book that describe in detail how some great commodities traders got their starts as well as their advice on staying successful.

From studying the market to managing your portfolio to placing orders with brokers Ms. Holihan touches on all the pertinents of trading in commodities and then some.

Mary B. Holihan's COMPLETE GUIDE TO INVESTING IN COMMODITY TRADING AND FUTURES is a pick for any business library specializing in stock market strategies for individual investors. Chapters tell how to make the most of the commodity trading market, entering a realm where large banks and the wealthy trade. From different commodity products to common pitfalls, this is an outstanding introduction.

The Complete Guide to Investing in Commodity Trading and Futures: How to Earn High Rates of Return Safely by Mary B. Holihan, is a very good comprehensive investment guide about commodity futures trading. This book would be useful for undergraduate finance students, sophisticated investors and commodities traders. This guide was not always easy to read due to the technical nature of the material. A wide variety of commodity products are described as far as where they are produced, the years they are being produced and political climates that affect their outlook. The book starts out by describing as well as naming commodity exchanges worldwide. Specific commodities are not usually produced everywhere, but often in at least two different continents or countries.
Types of commodity trading orders are described in detail. Holihan also describes types of common commodity futures traders. These investors can be classified as hedgers, speculators, day traders, scalpers, spreaders and institutional investors. The guide gives suggestions as to investigating commodity broker services and commodity fund managers before hiring them. The two regulatory organizations to check with are the National Futures Association and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission. The author contends that the commodity trading is becoming more and more electronic and less exchange-based.
Mary Holihan suggests good commodity trading systems to a novice or experienced trader. The Complete Guide to Investing in Commodity Trading and Futures provides a description of the ideal trader attitude for optimal trading. Information in the commodities market is not published often as stock or bond information is. Losses can occur more rapidly with commodities so the author advises you to become familiar with the commodity market you are trading in. Fundamental as well as technical analysis trading techniques are explained. This book has an excellent description of fundamental analysis in the commodities market. Ideas such as supply and demand, weather and inflation are mentioned. Technical analysis concepts in the commodities market are also given and these can include volume, support, resistance and breakouts.
The Complete Guide to Investing in Commodity Trading & Futures: How to Earn High Rates of Returns Safely

The Complete Guide to Investing In Commodity Trading and Futures-How To Earn High Rates of Returns Safely is of particular interest now given that some are blaming high oil and gas prices on the "out of control speculating" going on, and corn becoming more important as a fuel as well as a food source, and with demand for all commodities increasing by the day. You need this book if you want to jump in to the world of commodities trading. Commodities Trading is complicated, full of risk and pitfalls, very different from stock trading, and this book is a must-have if you've never traded in commodities and want to be successful.
The book is divided into two main parts. The first section deals with Commodities basics-understanding it, the whys and hows, the pitfalls, etc. This section has a lot of information, and can seem a bit overwhelming at first, but all is explained in more detail further on. Part two explains types of commodities-agricultural, metals, meats, etc. Included in part one is great information on the floor, or "Pit". If you've ever seen video of a commodities pit, and wondered what all that gesticulating and running around was all about, this explains it.
Along with great in-depth information and advice, throughout the book are case studies / Q+A with experts, explanations of charts, and step by step guidelines about everything from placing an order with a broker to "How To Make A Trade". The author also covers differing investment philosophies and strategies.
In the chapter on the "Whys" of investing/trading in Commodities there is a mention of hedging against inflation, and the fact that historically higher demand for finished goods boosts the price of commodities. Also mentioned are the oil crises of the 70s and 80s being associated with major recessions at the time, and why commodities futures perform well in the early stages of a recession vs. stocks.
This book is not an "easy read", but it is an excellent and comprehensive handbook for anyone who is interested in the hows and whys of commodities trading, and absolutely necessary for anyone who wants to get in to commodities trading fully knowledgeable and with the tools they need to be successful.

This is a really thorough explanation about the topic of commodity training. I didn't know anything about where to start, all I knew was that I was interested in finding a way to invest in something and ensuring that it would reap rewards. This book explains it all.

I really like reading about the case studies and knowing that these are real success stories which have happened. Rules of etiquette and guidelines were absolutely enlightening, and unlike other investment books which are filled with dry `industry lingo' that newcomers are so alienated from, this book explains everything in simple and straightforward language, so anyone can easily pick up the concepts!

The most helpful part of the book is the index at the back. So if you are in the middle of researching a commodity you want to trade and unsure, this book remains as a wonderful tool for you to remember all the principles involved in successful trading of commodities.

This book gives you an understandable overview of investing. It is written in simple English and defines all the terminology used in the book.

No one book can really define the entire spectrum of investing but this book touches on enough items to help you decide what to research next.

I was impressed with the completeness and attention to detail. Both the beginning investor and the seasoned pro could use this book. As a reference book I will be referring to this one many times as I work my way into the world of online investing.

"The Complete Guide to Online Investing" by Michelle Hooper is just what it claims to be. From beginners to seasoned professionals, the information Hooper has collected and put into one volume is impressive. Though some professionals may know, or think they know, everything in the book, it is still worth a look. Some may learn something new. Others will find their memory on key concepts and ideas refreshed.

The first chapter, "What is Investing?" lists nearly every type of investment that most people can make. From stocks and bonds to real estate investment trusts, it is all covered here. Though the first section has little to do with the online part of investing, it does give a great overview and background for new investors. Hooper expands on this information, or suggest ways to put it to practical use, in subsequent chapters.

The next couple of chapters explain what types of investments a person can make and the places where they can invest. It provides a great overview of investment strategies and reviews key terms that many beginning investors may not be familiar with, but the investing community already assumes everyone knows.

The heart of the book really begins in chapter 4, which gives a great overview of various financial and trading Web sites. Helpful navigational tools are provided with most of the Web sites reviewed, as well as a brief discussion on what information or tools it may provide. In addition, it discusses some Web sites offering very helpful and fun applications, such as investment calculators, for those who want to dream.

Those who are interested in reviews of online brokers, both full service and discount, and reviews of other online services will not be disappointed. In addition to listing the advantages and steps needed to get started on these Web sites, Hooper also explains how to make sure a broker is reputable. There is also a helpful section on scams. Those wanting to check out a variety of firms will also find dozens listed, along with their Web site addresses.

Replete with a significant number of personal stories, case studies and tips, Hooper writes in a very personable and conversational tone. Discussing Johnson & Johnson, at one point she notes, "Those guys make everything, and it is important that people have deodorants." That folksy style is refreshing in the financial book market, which often discusses things most would need a doctorate degree to understand.

There are some portions of the book structured awkwardly. For example, the first chapter is 90 pages long. That may seem rather intimidating to readers who are used to breaking up their reading by chapters. However, there are numerous subsections and subheads, which help break the information up into digestible chunks.

The stories she relates are relevant to the subject matter she is discussing, demonstrating how there are practical applications for the ideas she is discussing. The success stories mentioned also offer encouragement to potential investors. "The Complete Guide to Online Investing" offers everything a beginning investor could want.

This "how-to" book of the ins and outs of online investing should appear prominently on the bookshelf of anyone who is serious about making money in the stock market. It contains a wealth of information that runs the gamut from the history of laws governing trading to an account of investing strategies, including after-hours trading, managing your investment portfolio, recognizing a bad broker, as well as information regarding tax deductions for investment newsletters and even computers used for investing! But it would be advisable to check with your tax accountant before attempting to take these deductions on your tax returns. Hooper's exhaustible research for this book is obvious in the many charts, case studies, and websites included for further reference.

The book is written in a very straightforward and accessible style, even when dealing with more dense topics such as futures and commodities trading. Hooper explains that "A long call is simply purchasing a call option in which the investor hopes that the price of the futures market will rise." In addition, Hooper uses humor to make certain points. When discussing trading of currencies, Hooper warns "Do not get up and take a break or you could lose a large sum of money", and in describing the "Fill or Kill" request, Hooper notes that this "does not mean that the broker will be killed if an order is not filled." Books on topics such as this are often exceedingly technical and difficult to read but Hooper has really lived up to the title of this book The Complete Guide to Online Investing: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply.

Do you have the knowledge to do online investing? In this outstanding book you will find all the answers you need and answers to things you didn't even know about. Author Michelle Hooper brings it down to terms that everyone can understand whether you are a beginner or a more seasoned investor. And Hopper is no novice to investing she has the classes and knowledge to backup her information.

You will learn about what is investing, the history behind investing, how to invest, the different types of stock markets, researching, computer software, how to watch your money, the safety of online investing, brokers and financial advisers, finding your investment style, how to read charts and graphs, and figuring taxes. There are plenty of websites and examples listed to help with such things as help if you need a broker and what companies to trust, short-term and long-term investing, how to setup your portfolio, what are IPOs and DPOs, the difference between after hour trading and day trading as well as what is an investment club and how to start one.

The information is precise and complete the tips are fantastic. Perfect for beginners and seasoned pros but also a useful tool for high school and college students to learn the ins and outs of online investing. You can never start too young to build your future and this is one book that should be in everyone's home even if you don't have stocks or bonds you may have a 401k or other types of retirement plans that you should be aware of what's going on - after all it's your money!

With the overwhelming array of financial information and resources available, it was an inspiring relief to find a book that so effectively provides so much information on finances and investing, in such an easily digestible format.

I've always wanted to learn more about investing, but felt it was something better left to those "in the know." It seemed too complicated for someone like me whose financial experience is limited to struggling with balancing my checkbook. But the examples, case studies, comparison charts, checklists, description of important key terms, links to additional resources and even some history have given me the confidence to pursue investing in a more sound financial future for me and my family. The sections on researching brokers and brokerages, navigation software, the safety of online investing, and finding your investment style were particularly enlightening.

I now find myself watching the financial shows and segments on TV and actually understanding what they are talking about. And if I come across an unknown term or concept, I can usually find it in this book. It is and will continue to be a great reference and resource tool.

This book does what it promises - it describes how one man stopped and realized how different it feels to have positive vs. negative P/L given the same market action. This is not a bombshell, but is quite readable and entertaining.

"Feel the other side of your trade" is how this book could be summarized. Then there's a lot of ranting about brokerage business and a bit of self-aggrandizement - which takes away one star in my opinion. Oh, and he knows two "100% win" traders... :-)

Also, it seems that mysterious "Trader X" is really not-so-mysterious J.A. Jankovsky - you can read his book or listen to him on CBOT website.

So let's sink another drink
'Cause it'll give me time to think
If I had the chance
I'd ask the world to dance
And I'll be dancing with myself

Reading this book is extremely worthwhile for the same reason Mark Douglas's books are; i.e. they relate more to being a more powerful and disciplined human being and then applying that to your chosen endeavor of trading, rather than rehashed things about cutting your losses and technical indicators. Succinctly put, it is about understanding things in terms of conflict, and knowing yourself and how you reach decisions in order to resolve those conflicts in the way where you become the winner....instead of reacting unconsciously.

The author looks at market action in a way I've never seen described anywhere else, and to me is very original though it is most applicable to futures markets than equity markets (though I'm starting to pay closer attention to open interest in options now).

The cover is very telling. You are the mirror. When you look at the market is reflects off you. You are the market. Ponder these points:

I am nothing; yet I am everything.
I see nothing; yet I see everything.
I win with what is inside me; I lose with what is inside me.
I am the market; I always win.

This book contains kernels of truth. Ask yourself if you want to see the kernels of truth. Are you prepared to be a mirror?

This is the guy on the other end. I have been a futures broker, investor, and I authored the book "Futures For Small Speculators". I have done all of this over the past 13 years and in that time I have seen some crazy events.

Unfortunately, I can attest to the fact that when I started out there were brokers that were drug addicts. But they were few or far between. I never saw anyone doing lines while speaking with a client. There were also other unscrupulous behavior. But I only saw this when I inadvertently fell into a "boiler room".

None of this behavior that Trader X discusses can be found in legitimate companies. It makes me wonder what kind of person was he for staying in that type of environment. I left the second week I was there when I saw brokers in the hallways shooting craps. How much more of a hint do you need to take that a particular place is not for you.

Trader X suffered from bad judgement and it reflected in his trading as well as in his decision to write this book anonymously. This is a very interesting treatise on trading. Only you can find the relevance for yourself.

The writer basically shows his experience how trading is no piece of cake, and many are fooled into thinking it is. Most traders don't need to read a book like this after they have been trading for a few months.

He also "exposes" the brokerage industry as an industry filled with coke addicts and innept jobs. Supposedly these people would snort coke while on the lines with customers. Well, excuse me I have not had a job as a broker, but I find it hard to believe it is filled with coke addicts any more than, say, accountants.

All throughout the book while reading the revelations that trading is not easily mastered you must contend with a giant ego, and statements like, "when I was a loser, I had no idea what I was doing. Now, I am a winner, and I do the right things."

He also takes a story out of Charles Le Beau's book, an incident that happened in the sixties. I have no idea if he met the same person an identical individual or he is making that up too.

At first glance this may seem like any other trading book however I can assure you after much exhaustive computer analysis there is much more here than meets the eye. What many people do not know is that the exact methods which Toby Crabel uses for managing billions of dollars are disclosed within this book. I have in my possession due diligence documents which state his exact trading methodology and markets. I have pursued and collected almost everything that is available on the subject of Toby Crabel and his career. This book deserves a very slow in-depth and at sometimes painful read through over and over and over again! Of course it helps to be a computer guru so that you can make complete sense of all the patterns and become confident in them. Mark Brown www.markbrown.com

What the readers here say is true. I bought a used copy for about 1100 a few years back and was well worth it. An absolute tour-de-force of ideas and studies that are in use by Toby Crabel himself (he runs a hedge fund). The primary method he uses (ORB) is actually used by the majority of Hedge Funds today. I do reccomend that the reader check other auction sites for better deals.

Well, Crabel certainly did a good job of gathering statistics from many years of commodities data prior to 1990 and presenting it in this book.

Basically, the premise of the book is that there is a better than even probability of a trend day occurring after certain narrow range or inside days. A trend day is one where the price continues in one direction off the open and closes in that area. Narrow range is basically a contraction, so he is saying that "breakouts" or "expansion" is likely to occur after contraction. This is a 50-65% chance based on his examination of data from commodities prior to 1990.

At first glance, anything above 50% would appear to be a profitable opportunity. But this does not take into consideration sampling bias (see below.) Also Crabel mentions this does not take into consideration commissions and slippage. So any true trading potential would need to minimize the fees to a small portion of the 50-65% profit margin. An improvement on this book would be the inclusion of a real market study with fees.

Results including around 50% probabilities sometimes indicate random behavior. This includes even apparent non random probability (a "consistent" 65%) due to sampling bias. A comparitive study with today's markets would need to be done to determine whether the 50-65% results are still valid. There may have been certain market biases in his sampling period that no longer exist.

So in order to determine whether this book presents a useful trading system, the above two studies would need to be completed. Assuming favorable results of the studies, this would be a day trading system that would work as the number of iterations increases (ie the number of trades.) So probably best suited to automated, computer trading, rather than manual trading.

But the real improvement to this book would be the following: fitting a probability curve over the entry points off the open. Instead of two entry points (ORB +- 8 points, ORB +- 16 points), a random sample of the domain of entry points. The benefit of this would be to eliminate sampling bias and to identify profitable trading areas (if any). A probability function would give us an easy way to optimize the trading strategy, rather than relying on only two randomly chosen entry points that may or may not be optimal.

Crabel is one of the very few who have had consistently profitable trading for over twenty years. It seems like he started out using the methods in this book. I'm sure he's expanded on/replaced/improved them over the years. It would be nice to see the methods his company uses now, but of course I'm not holding my breath for such trade secrets.

My overall recommendation of this book is as follows: If you are a system trader/programmer, then you may benefit from obtaining a copy of this book and improving upon it in the manner I suggest above.

If you do not fall under the sytem trader category, then I think the only benefit would be to learn about the contraction/expansion pattern, which you don't need this book for. You can learn about it online by searching for the following terms: "narrow range day, inside day, NR4." Keep in mind Crabel's results: these patterns are 45%-65% tradeable, not including commissions or slippage.

Toby Crabel has written a great book. The patterns he discusses are great for swing trading and day trading. You will learn about narrow range days, inside days, bull hooks, bear hooks and so on. These patterns can easily be translated into most commercial trading software. This is one of the few books I like. Even if you decide not to trade these patterns they can still be helpful in predicting market behavior. Please do not think that Mr.Crabel discusses double tops and double bottoms, head and shoulders and all that other garbage. However, you will find very unique ideas that you probably never considered. I find it very interesting that the least reviewed trading books on this website are often the best ones.

Well I bought this book in 1991, when I was just learning about technical trading. The ideas were mostly unique then, or at least had not been published together yet in one volume, from what I know.

The main ideas in the book have to do with expansion and contraction in volatility and moves off the open (Opening Range
Breakouts).

Toby is a successful hedge fund manager, having worked for Victor Niederhoffer before starting his own company. Toby's
returns are good, but his risk management is far better. Toby's funds have grown primarily due to his excellent risk management
skills as opposed to his returns. In layman's terms this means that he hardly ever loses money but he doesn't make much for his clients. This is actually fairly unique and he should be commended for finding this niche in the business.

I should say that I do know both Toby and Victor, although they are just industry acquaintances, not friends, and I have not seen them in a many years.

For young struggling traders, the ideas in this book are available cheaper in other books or on the internet. They are also known as volatility breakout strategies. I suggest you pay not more than $200 for this book. If you can't buy it for less
than that, look elsewhere.

If you are a collector, than feel free to pay up for this
book.

I purchased this book for the purpose of learning more about stock trading. While the author suggests that his text is just as applicable to stocks, his entire focus is on currency (forex) trading. He spends a great deal of the book explaining the software of his favorite forex game platform (which turns out to be irrelevant during the remainder of the text). I can only assume that Oanda subsidized his book. I would not have purchased this book had I known that.

While I am glad to know a bit more about forex trading, some of the "logic" behind doing so is faulty in my opinion. One of the premises behind trading currency is the much smaller set of investment vehicles to analyze as opposed to the thousands of stocks available. The trouble with this premise is that one currency in and of itself takes an entire economy to create its value as opposed to a stock which is a microcosm of one sector of an economy. What you end up trading with forex is not just one economy but TWO! To trade the currencies effectively, one should know what's driving the value of both entire economies. The scope of your fundamental analysis is therefore not more limited, but dynamically multiplied.

However, that being said, this book only covers the most basic concepts of trading, and in very broad generalities. He gives practical "homework" assignments, such as track market reactions to economic releases, keep a journal, write down your goals, define your strategy, stick to your strategy, don't drink and trade.

Where this book falls grossly short, for me, is in the details of his "methods". The subtitle is "From the Basics to Building a Winning Strategy". This should be interpreted as reaching only to the upper resistance area of the Basics. The window left between the Basics and the theoretical Winning Strategy is quite large. There is NO bullish breakout into the Winning Strategy trading area.

He basically says, "go create a strategy", then "test your strategy". Then says, "choose a strategy" without a single word of advice as to how to do that with any reasonable or practical sensibility. There is no discussion of the multitude of components that might make up a strategy other than "there's other books written on the subject". His homework assignment in this one area would leave the book on the shelf for years while you figure it all out yourself.

He provides a few basic testing examples, but emphasizes that they were created for the purpose of walking through a fictitious test and are not intended to provide any usable results. There's no list of things that might be testable, what indicators are available, or what variables to use, what formulas to use or how to apply any of his suggestions to the wide expanse of reality. Speaking of formulas, he throws out a great deal of quantitative results, but doesn't provide the math used to back it up. This is akin to saying, "X=10, please go test for X, and make your choices based on the results." I'm just supposed to grab these formulas out of thin air I suppose?

The few formulas that he does provide are either basic math (sell price minus purchase price equals profit), or include variables that aren't explained at all (i.e. R sub f = risk free rate of return). If you don't know what Risk Free Rate of Return is, don't worry neither do I and I've read the book.

He doesn't point you in any direction whatsoever! There's a big world out there, go invent your tests and your formulas yourself, then test all the possibilities before using real money to trade. While at the same time says that it's unreasonable for a novice to understand more than one trend indicator at a time. I'm sorry, that's just not practical advice. If I can only understand one indicator, at least point me in a somewhat limited direction and explain it to me.

He also does not give any advice as to how to find a broker, just says "find one that suits your goals". What?! Mind telling me how to do that? Never once mentions how to research their credentials, or what scams might await. How are they regulated (or not)? What should you look for as a reasonable spread? Are there hidden fees to consider? What about those bogus interest rate rules some brokers have? And absolutely nothing he suggested actually related to stocks or stock brokers at all as far as I'm concerned.

Many of his charts are illegible, or incomprehensible due to lack of explanation as to what he's charted. There are many grammatical and sentence structure errors which make portions of this text difficult to get through. His overview of the technical indicators is slack at best. He merely suggests that "there are many books that already cover that topic in great detail". In fact he makes similar statements on various topics throughout the book.

The most amazing thing is that he spends the entirety of the book explaining trading via forex. But then the trading system he shares with you in the appendix is for stocks! And not only that, the system presented completely digresses from his proposal to pick one or two trading vehicles and thoroughly back test them to develop the optimum system for that vehicle. It is the ultimate in inconsistency! Due to the number of errors in the book, there's no way I'd trust his "sample system" at the end of the book without confirming it against several other sources.

If you need someone to tell you that you need to do your homework, apply yourself to ongoing research, and plan properly prior to trading then I've just done that. No need to buy the book.

However, if you're looking for practical advice on how to find workable tools, strategy evaluation methods, or any caveats to watch out for which are prevalent in the industry, I suggest that you seek to purchase one of those other books that he alluded to.

The subtitle really should be "From the Basics and up to (but not including) Building a Winning Strategy".

John is an experienced trader who have found a way to share his knowledge in a easy to follow, step by step guide to trading. Don't be fooled by the simplicity, this is powerful information.

Trading in the stock, foreign exchange, or other markets used to be a game played only by the experts on Wall Street or at a minimum sitting in a brokers office watching the ticker go buy. News dissemination was slow and poor. All of this has changed. The web now allows everyone the world over instant access to the same information and instant access to on line trading.

This book starts with the very beginning, opening a trading account. From there he moves to the development of a trading plan and tracking that plan using the 'demo' or test account at an on-line traders. The development of a plan that suits your needs, your own level of risk. In describing how to create your own plan, he goes over the primary ways used by the pros to analyze markets: Fundamental, Quantitative or Technical Analysis. Strangely enough, he doesn't seem to have a favorite as most authors do.

On the whole, you couldn't ask for a better introductory to the subject.

I'm new in trading and I've spent time and money to find books teaching the real stuff of trading. This book, as the title says, describes all the essentials you need to consider when you want to start trading. It covers the plan, the system, the testing, and the final application. It opens up my mind to view trading as a real challengr both interllectually and mentally.

However, I hope it can put more resorces in developing and testing systems.

HP

This book realistically describes what you need to know and what you need to do to trade successfully. I would recommend it to all aspiring traders. It provides the knowledge base and perspective that good traders develop through years of experience. A great book for both new and established traders.

I've re-read this I know not how many times, but it truly remains one of my favorite "classics." This journey through the Congo (and, in turn, through the protagonist's mind) is not only well written, but it truly draws the reader into the delusional stages of consciousness. It is worth every moment.

Conrad is among the most influential writers of our time, and his masterwork Heart of Darkness proves this. The concepts introduced in this book laid the groudwork for a new outlook on humanity, and his predictions to modern society, specifically the business world, are unparalleled. Read this book and it will give you a new view on the world.

Published in 1899, Joseph Conrad's HEART OF DARKNESS is like a fingerpost for its time, pointing the way of human preoccupations as they probed the final frontiers left in the world to discover, both geographically and intrapersonally, equipped only with a 19th century worldview. Where fear and discomfort with the unknown had once been associated with leaving land and heading into the open sea, Conrad now placed it in turning inward, turning from the sea up a river that penetrates an unknown land.

This is the story related one night to a group of London dwellers gathered on a dock boat in the safety and familiarity of the Thames. The speaker, a garrulous veteran seaman named Marlow, remembers how as a younger man he had pushed for the adventurous assignment of taking a steamboat up the Congo in search of a company's missing agent, Kurtz. His is a tale of horror, of what can happen to a person disengaged from civilization as it is known. This is an atmospheric exploration of knowledge, experience, innocence and morality. Conrad's language is complex but not opaque, has action but also a lot of description. As Virginia Woolf once said, Conrad could not write badly to save his own life.

That his vision requires rooting the horror in a hostile jungle culture and its customs can present a problem for a contemporary audience. The Modern Library has done a good job in introducing this edition with notable criticism, positive and negative, excerpted from across the 20th century, including pieces by Mencken, Virginia Woolf, E.M. Forster and, more recently, Chinua Achebe. This edition also includes passages from Conrad's 1890 journal when he was traveling in the Congo. Several different publishers are publishing this novel, but this edition is the best I found.

Heart of Darkness is a novel focused with strong imagery and the concepts of darkness and light as "darkness" is the heart of man while the "light" can be civilization as a whole. I found this book somewhat discriminating in the beginning but as a whole it has a very clear statement. I can see how it is one of the greatest novels but to me Marlow, the main character, has no character as he becomes obsessed with Kurtz and can instantly become him but does not. After finding what he is looking for, Marlow is still filled with the darkness. Even though I thought this book was somewhat interesting, I would not recommend it because I did not agree with Marlow's or maybe even Conrad's view of the Congo jungle and life in it with the darkness.

I read this book for a graduate Humanities course. Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, written in 1899 is a seminal work about the ills of colonialism, as well as a postmodern look at the subject of mankind. Conrad's book had a crucial influence on five important works of the twentieth century: J. G. Frazier's book The Golden Bough. Jessie L. Weston's book From Ritual to Romance, T. S. Elliott's poem the Waste Land, Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces, and Francis Ford Coppolla's movie Apocalypse Now, screenplay by John Milius, was based on Conrad's book. Another interesting fact is that this work was read by Orson Welle's Mercury Theater Players on the radio and was to be his first movie. After doing some work on it he abandoned the project to do Citizen Kane! I would have loved to of seen what Welles could have done with this story. Conrad's story is so riveting in part, because he himself served as a riverboat captain. High school teachers and college professors who have discussed this book in thousands of classrooms over the years tend to do so in terms of Freud, Jung, and Nietzsche; of classical myth, Victorian innocence, and original sin; of postmodernism, postcolonialism, and poststructuralism.

Just a taste of the plot reels you in! Marlow, the narrator of Heart of Darkness and Conrad's alter ego, is hired by an ivory-trading company to sail a steamboat up an unnamed river whose shape on the map resembles "an immense snake uncoiled, with its head in the sea, its body at rest curving afar over a vast country and its tail lost in the depths of the land" (8). His destination is a post where the company's brilliant, ambitious star agent, Mr. Kurtz, is stationed. Kurtz has collected legendary quantities of ivory, but, Marlow learns along the way, is also rumored to have sunk into unspecified savagery. Marlow's steamer survives an attack by blacks and picks up a load of ivory and the ill Kurtz; Kurtz, talking of his grandiose plans, dies on board as they travel, downstream.

Sketched with only a few bold strokes, Kurtz's image has nonetheless remained in the memories of millions of readers: the lone white agent far up the great river, with his dreams of grandeur,his great store of precious ivory, and his fiefdom carved out of the African jungle. Perhaps more than anything, we remember Marlow, on the steamboat, looking through binoculars at what he thinks are ornamental knobs atop the fence posts in front of Kurtz's house and then finding that each is "black, dried, sunken, with closed eyelids-a head that seemed to sleep at the top of that pole, and with the shrunken dry lips showing a narrow white line of the teeth" (57).

I especially became interested in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness from the movie Apocalypse Now. There is a scene in the movie that shows Colonel Kurtz's nightstand in his cave. T. S. Elliott's poem the Waste Land is one of three books on the nightstand. The other two are Jessie L. Weston's book From Ritual to Romance, and J. G. Frazier's book The Golden Bough. Anyone wanting to understand the movie Apocalypse Now, especially the character of Colonel Kurtz, and what Milius and Copolla are trying to tell their audience need to read these three books as well as Conrad's Heart of Darkness!

As a graduate student reading in philosophy and history I recommend this book for anyone interested in literature, myth, history, philosophy, religion and fans of Apocalypse Now.