Rating: - A Great Book for All Traders and Technicians
Mr. Bulkowski has done the leg work for all of us that don't like to backtest yet like to know the odds. Even if you backtest your own systems, it is very hard to backtest patterns like these. I have found it very helpful in my understanding of what makes a good pattern as well. Bulkowski's work will help you filter through the patterns to find the "best" triangle, or broadening top, or other pattern listed in the text whichever the case maybe. I have a pretty extensive library of trading books since putting on my first trade in 1995. The Encyclopedia of Chart Patterns is always close to my computer. I find it reassuring to double check the pattern I am thinking about trading. This book has helped me make more money.

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Rating: - A New Perspective on Chart Patterns
Many years ago, when I was a college student in China, one of my most enjoyable moments was to sit in library reading Encyclopedia Britannica, which always gave me new perspectives for the world. It was natural that the title of this book attracted my attention and I bought it immediately. What a wonderful reference book to add to my trading library! I only wish I had it before the market crashed in 2000, when I lost all my trading accounts.

This reader-friendly book consists of Part One Chart Patterns (53 chapters) and Part Two Event Patterns (10 chapters). Each chapter focuses on a specific chart pattern with informative details. The RESULTS SNAPSHOP and TOUR are very useful to give readers a general idea of each chart pattern. The IDENTIFICATION GUIDELINES and TRADING TACTICS give readers a practical trading guide. The STATISTICS shows the author's new approach to analyze each chart pattern scientifically. The SAMPLE TRADE is a fictitious story to illustrate a trading circumstance. The FOCUS ON FAILURES provides necessary warnings for each chart pattern. All the technically complicated information is smartly rendered in layperson's language. I think if every trader (day traders, swing traders, position traders, and buy-and-hold investors) reads this book, we will be on the same page and will act similarly. Then, our trading will become more consistently profitable.

Of course, this is not a book to read from cover to cover. Instead, it is a must-have reference book. Any time I found a chart pattern showing a potential for profits, I checked it with this encyclopedia and designed a proper plan to trade with the pattern. This way, I learned while I earned. However, this book is not a crystal ball, but a great trading tool, which you should master. Should we ask more from a book?

Guang Lu, Ph.D.

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Rating: - Most informative review on chart patterns
I have always wondered - how reliable are chart patterns? Now I know. Tom gives you every statistic necessary to give you the confidence needed to trade these patterns. If you want to know what each pattern should look like, what the average rise or decline is, what the success rate is of each pattern, how to deal with failed patterns and strategies for maximizing profit and minimizing risk - then this 2nd edition is a must.
I have been trading for 25 years and this is the first book I have read that gives me the confidence to take action.
Bravo Tom.
Vince

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Rating: - A classic on the analysis of chart patterns
This book, written in the spirit of the Edwards and Magee classic, is a definitive reference on stock chart interpretation. In it you will find an incredible variety of chart patterns--from the familiar "head and shoulders" to the obscure "dead cat bounce"--presented and dissected. You will also find something lacking in most books on charting: detailed statistics on the real-market performance of the patterns analyzed.

Not only is this book a valuable reference for the visually-oriented stock chartist, it is also a great source of ideas for the system-based trader; with some programming, and perhaps a neural network or two, many of the patterns described can serve as the basis for profitable automated trading engines.

The writing style is lucid, and the content rich and rewarding. What more could you want? I strongly recommend it to anyone contemplating trading on the basis of price patterns.

Jeffrey Owen Katz, Ph.D.
Author (with Donna McCormick): "The Encyclopedia of Trading Strategies" (McGraw Hill, 2000)

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Rating: - Unique book on chart patterns
I was impressed on the format of this book but keep in mind that the statistics in this book are only from the authors choosen "litmis test" / own research and aren't concrete examples of the everyday marketplace.. If you take in account that he only covers specific periods of time on his test that the market could have been in a particular trend (ie bull/bear/consolidating) at that time and could be inaccurate stats.. Basically the stats are not based off a complete database of the market and are not done with consideration of the trend (correct me if I've misread)..

I have not yet applied these priciples to the market I am still learning tech. analysis.. It is one of the better books on the subject.. Although hypathetical the "Sample Trade" and "Trading Tactics" sections are very helpful in developing a trading strategy..

It is maybe an intermediate book not really for beginers in that it is very technical without a lot of explanation on how to best use the book.. A beginer can how ever learn to work around this should he/she read the sample trade and trading tactics sections.. I thought their should have been explanations on decipering what type of time frames were looking at on the actual chart diagrams of the chart patterns as differnt time horizons give different patterns..

I came to this section to view what other peoples opinions were on this book to get a leg up on my readings and ending up writing a review myself because there were no reviews..

You will learn how to:
*Identify the leading chart patterns and recomodations of applying them

Don't get this book if you plan on using it solely to pick stocks with.. You will not learn a trading system from just this book..