I am looking for a book that will teach me how to identify a trend within a time frame

[RedDuke]

Very inspirational book for trade traders:

https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Rule.html?id=BVWsDwAAQBAJ&source=kp_book_description

The Rule: How I Beat the Odds in the Markets and in Life—and How You Can Too, by Larry Hite

 

[They]

I've been studying this for a while now and I'm having a hard time finding the trend in the time frame I'm looking at.
For example if I like to trade a few times a week I'm going to be looking at maybe the one hour for hour time frame. I'm going to find my trend in the 4 hour and find my patterns and such in the 1 hour.

My problem is how far do I look back for data on the 4-hour to find the direction I should be trading... There are so many trends within trends and if I go too far back I might actually be looking at the daily trend and if I don't go far enough I might be looking at a small time frame trend I need to know which swings to focus on and find the pullback.

No need to read a book, unless it is a book on statistics.

You stated that your are using a 4 hour chart for trend and a 1 hour chart for pattern but want to know how far back to look on your 4 hour chart. You are most likely applying some indicator or trendline to the 4 hour chart and finding that it will switch directions depending on your look back period.

If the above is correct then try something like...
https://c.mql5.com/forextsd/forum/221/TASC-Set-2010-Getting-Clear-With-Short-Term-Swings__1.pdf

Otherwise as @wrbtrader stated your question is too vague....

One 4 hour bar will not show a trend
Two 4 hour bars might show higher highs and higher lows (the definition of a trend) but it also might be one bar followed by an inside bar or outside bar and not show a trend. The inside bar outside bar can scenario can continue for three or even four bars or even more.

Most people will just plot an indicator or trendline with a fixed lookback (for trend) and then apply a pattern for entry. Regardless of how many 1 hour or 4 hour bars you use or what indicator you are applying to them or what the look back period on the indicator/trendline is for determining the trend, you are ultimately going to have to get statistics on whether they provide a positive expectancy with your entry pattern. And then analyze those statistics to make sure you are not curve fitting a system/method, which is a different matter.

Anyway, if you cant get any good stats by doing these it might be your entry pattern that's sucks.

Good luck