What books shaped your trading mind?

I have read many books. But the one that changed my thinking was don't laugh I was new at this:

Stan Weinstein's "Secrets For Profiting in Bull and Bear Markets". I was not aware of technical analysis at that time and this book has introduced me to it. Looking back it was not a very good book but it got me started. Ten years later I am still trying to prove to myself that technical analysis works.
 
Quote from nutmeg:

When we read, another person thinks for us: we merely repeat his mental process. It is the same as the pupil, in learning to write, following with his pen the lines that have been pencilled by the teacher. Accordingly, in reading, the work of thinking is, for the greater part, done for us. This is why we are consciously relieved when we turn to reading after being occupied with our own thoughts. But, in reading, our head is, however, really only the arena of some one else’s thoughts. And so it happens that the person who reads a great deal—that is to say, almost the whole day, and recreates himself by spending the intervals in thoughtless diversion, gradually loses the ability to think for himself; just as a man who is always riding at last forgets how to walk.

cont. on link..

http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/s/schopenhauer/arthur/essays/chapter5.html
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Wow, some of you are really bashing nutmeg. The quote he put is from the Great Schopenhauer, he is not saying 'not to read because then you don't think for yourself', all he is saying (if you've read his work), is that reading shouldn't be a substitute for your own thoughts and ideas. He is emphasizing that we need to think for ourselves, ask why and how this and that exists/works, etc.

If you click the link and read the entire read it is actually very good. There is nothing wrong with reading, but don't let reading someone else's ideas take over your own method of thought process and innovation.

I am shocked that people would dare to trash the work of Schopenhauer, he is one of the godfathers of modern day philosophy..
 
I cannot think of any specific books that gave me that aha moment, but recently read "Fooled by Randomness" and found that many of the observations discussed are lessons that I have paid dearly to learn. Whether it would have been of any value early in the piece is a matter of conjecture as I probably would not have viewed it's insights in the current context. (young head/old shoulders)

Regards

Johno
 
Not true for the average poster on ET. :p

But seriously, writing down my thoughts/ideas on trading every day (or at least regularly) was one of the best things I ever started.

Quote from nutmeg:

...can't write without thinking, we can read without thinking.
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The Art of War is a great book to read. It was written by Sun Tzu. The Art Of War is one of the oldest books ever written, yet it is still used today. It is the worlds first known treatise on war but the lessons it teaches can be applied to almost any area of life where conflict is involved. :)
 
I would say Ari Kiev is one of my favorite. He is a world-renowned psychiatrist and author. He is regarded as one of the top trading coaches
 
Psychology has nothing to do with trading, per se. Brett Steenbarger has written a lot of interesting stuff, and manages to keep the topics and advice concrete and topical. Plus he has cred: he had the balls to leave academia and trade.

Kiev, Douglas, etc. are garbage. You either have an edge or you don't. If you do, trade it.
 
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