Rating: 
- Superb
This is a textbook, and as such, the reader should not expect to be able to breeze through it. I read it over the course of a month, highlighting the most important points with a yellow marker, just as I did my textbooks in college. The effort was well worth it. I now feel that I have a practical basis upon which to evaluate the chart of any stock. I know when to buy, when to sell and when to sit and wait. My investing strategy is 1000% better than it was a year ago, and I owe it all to this book.
Rating: - Excellent... but difficult
As has been said in the other reviews, this is a "classic." As such it challenges the reader to absorb extremely detailed analysis and information presented in a dry and straightforward manner. I bought the book over a year ago and have found it impossible to read in one sitting or even in a series of sittings. I have, however, found it extremely enlightening and have been able to read it in parts, and use it as reference in my trading activities. Some chapters I have had to read up to 4 or 5 times to really understand. It is clearly a better reference work than text and should not be used as a text by a raw beginner.
Rating: - Grandpa is still my hero
Technical Analysis of Stock Trends was a revolutionary book when it was first published. It was the first comprehensive work on technical analysis, at a time when technical analysis was considered an abstract art rather than a true science. It is so complete in its descriptions of the markets and how to trade them, that it has survived the greatest test of the literary world - time. It is without peer when described as the Bible of Technical Analysis. Anyone who is interested in market history, or the history of technical analysis, should read this amazing work. And anyone who is considering studying technical analysis or actually trading using TA, is also highly encouraged to not just read, but devour, this book. Now, Darwin was known for describing the process of evolution, and his attention would have been greatly stimulated by the world of technical analysis. This book was the first, but by no means the last. Mr. Murphy's Technical Analysis of the Futures Market and Mr. Schwager's Complete Guide to the Futures Market are powerful additions to the rishness and wealth of information in the world of TA. But there can only be one original, one foundation, and that classic epic title belongs to Edwards & Magee.
Rating:
- Thorough, slightly boring and expensive
Edwards and Magee is considered one of the bibles of technical analysis. While it covers the basics well (head and shoulders tops, etc.), the shear number of not so well known patterns can be overwhelming. I would doubt most people could (or would) finish this book. It's more of a reference book. John Murphy's Technical Analysis of the Futures Markets is a much better choice. Murphy covers trendlines, patterns, stochastics, Elliot Wave, money management and a host of other technical topics. Don't be fooled by its title -- it's quite applicable to stocks.
Rating: - Still the classic
The Greek philosopher Heraclitus once observed that it is impossible to step in the same river twice. By that statement he meant, seemingly, that everything is in a state of change. Hence, if Greg Louganis decided to jump off a diving board into the Mississippi River, he would never be able to plunge into the same water molecules more than once. By the time he attempted his second jump, the water which gave way during his first dive would be a long way down the river on its route toward the Gulf of Mexico. Accordingly, Heraclitus's analogy, one could argue, is applicable to the study of securities markets: although companies have traded their stock on exchanges for decades, even centuries, the stock markets themselves are always in flux because participants--investors, as well as the companies themselves--are constantly leaving and entering the game. Robert Edwards' and John Magee's classic TECHNICAL ANALYSIS OF STOCK TRENDS was written fifty years ago, long before such hallowed American companies as Microsoft, Dell, or Cisco Systems were in existence. Although the stock markets are indeed "rivers of change," it is clear that this book remains the standard guide for investors and traders who believe that technical analysis is an effective approach to predicting the future behavior of stocks. Modern readers should be aware, however, that too many of the charts in the book are from obscure, even defunct, companies from the 1940's; the appendix "Updated charts through 1996" is helpful but out of place in the back of the book. These charts, rather, should be placed in the text of the book in order to illustrate the book's key principles. Those interested in applying technical analysis to the future markets should also consider Jack Schwager's recent guide to technical analysis. It would seem impossible, though, that those still interested in trading stocks technically could avoid reading Edwards's and Magee's useful volume, a guide that remains a constant in a world of change.
- SuperbThis is a textbook, and as such, the reader should not expect to be able to breeze through it. I read it over the course of a month, highlighting the most important points with a yellow marker, just as I did my textbooks in college. The effort was well worth it. I now feel that I have a practical basis upon which to evaluate the chart of any stock. I know when to buy, when to sell and when to sit and wait. My investing strategy is 1000% better than it was a year ago, and I owe it all to this book.
Rating:
- Excellent... but difficultAs has been said in the other reviews, this is a "classic." As such it challenges the reader to absorb extremely detailed analysis and information presented in a dry and straightforward manner. I bought the book over a year ago and have found it impossible to read in one sitting or even in a series of sittings. I have, however, found it extremely enlightening and have been able to read it in parts, and use it as reference in my trading activities. Some chapters I have had to read up to 4 or 5 times to really understand. It is clearly a better reference work than text and should not be used as a text by a raw beginner.
Rating:
- Grandpa is still my heroTechnical Analysis of Stock Trends was a revolutionary book when it was first published. It was the first comprehensive work on technical analysis, at a time when technical analysis was considered an abstract art rather than a true science. It is so complete in its descriptions of the markets and how to trade them, that it has survived the greatest test of the literary world - time. It is without peer when described as the Bible of Technical Analysis. Anyone who is interested in market history, or the history of technical analysis, should read this amazing work. And anyone who is considering studying technical analysis or actually trading using TA, is also highly encouraged to not just read, but devour, this book. Now, Darwin was known for describing the process of evolution, and his attention would have been greatly stimulated by the world of technical analysis. This book was the first, but by no means the last. Mr. Murphy's Technical Analysis of the Futures Market and Mr. Schwager's Complete Guide to the Futures Market are powerful additions to the rishness and wealth of information in the world of TA. But there can only be one original, one foundation, and that classic epic title belongs to Edwards & Magee.
Rating:
- Thorough, slightly boring and expensiveEdwards and Magee is considered one of the bibles of technical analysis. While it covers the basics well (head and shoulders tops, etc.), the shear number of not so well known patterns can be overwhelming. I would doubt most people could (or would) finish this book. It's more of a reference book. John Murphy's Technical Analysis of the Futures Markets is a much better choice. Murphy covers trendlines, patterns, stochastics, Elliot Wave, money management and a host of other technical topics. Don't be fooled by its title -- it's quite applicable to stocks.
Rating:
- Still the classicThe Greek philosopher Heraclitus once observed that it is impossible to step in the same river twice. By that statement he meant, seemingly, that everything is in a state of change. Hence, if Greg Louganis decided to jump off a diving board into the Mississippi River, he would never be able to plunge into the same water molecules more than once. By the time he attempted his second jump, the water which gave way during his first dive would be a long way down the river on its route toward the Gulf of Mexico. Accordingly, Heraclitus's analogy, one could argue, is applicable to the study of securities markets: although companies have traded their stock on exchanges for decades, even centuries, the stock markets themselves are always in flux because participants--investors, as well as the companies themselves--are constantly leaving and entering the game. Robert Edwards' and John Magee's classic TECHNICAL ANALYSIS OF STOCK TRENDS was written fifty years ago, long before such hallowed American companies as Microsoft, Dell, or Cisco Systems were in existence. Although the stock markets are indeed "rivers of change," it is clear that this book remains the standard guide for investors and traders who believe that technical analysis is an effective approach to predicting the future behavior of stocks. Modern readers should be aware, however, that too many of the charts in the book are from obscure, even defunct, companies from the 1940's; the appendix "Updated charts through 1996" is helpful but out of place in the back of the book. These charts, rather, should be placed in the text of the book in order to illustrate the book's key principles. Those interested in applying technical analysis to the future markets should also consider Jack Schwager's recent guide to technical analysis. It would seem impossible, though, that those still interested in trading stocks technically could avoid reading Edwards's and Magee's useful volume, a guide that remains a constant in a world of change.