100 books like Trading in the Zone

By Mark Douglas,

Here are 100 books that Trading in the Zone fans have personally recommended if you like Trading in the Zone. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The Way of the Warrior Trader: The Financial Risk-Taker's Guide to Samurai Courage, Confidence and Discipline

Bo Yoder Author Of Optimize Your Trading Edge: Increase Profits, Reduce Draw-Downs, and Eliminate Leaks in Your Trading Strategy

From my list on helping you optimize your trading edge.

Why am I passionate about this?

I first fell in love with the markets when in 1995, I made more on 1 stock investment than I did working all winter in the freezing cold as a ski instructor. I see it as the world’s greatest game and it has given me a life of unparalleled freedom that I am eternally grateful for. Trading has allowed me to pursue my interests and go deep into behavioral psychology, economics, neurobiology, and would never have had the breakthroughs I have had like the Bottega method for AI or the Myalolipsis technique for developing effortless, unshakable self-discipline if I hadn’t been an active trader.

Bo's book list on helping you optimize your trading edge

Bo Yoder Why did Bo love this book?

This is my second favorite book on the mental game of trading.  

It’s written in an easy-to-read manner and the connections McCall makes to the ancient samurai code of “Bushido” are still very relevant to today’s active trader.

If you start with building an unshakeable mindset, all your work of system development or edge optimization will be fully rewarded… Because you won’t be cutting trades or making emotionally impulsive choices that are the “unforced errors” that leak your profits back into the market.

Fail in this mental quest and the markets are nothing more than a gambling vehicle.

By Richard McCall,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Way of the Warrior Trader as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Trading is war, an ongoing battle against other traders to get to profitable positions first, seize profits and move on to the next battle. "The Way of the Warrior Trader" applies time-honored precepts of the samurai discipline to modern trading, showing the reader ways to use centuries-old methods for victory in today's trading markets. "The Way of the Warrior Trader": provides a six step action plan for trading; explains how to recover psychologically from a loss; and describes how to overcome the deep-seated psychological barriers to effective trading.


Book cover of Studies in Tape Reading: A 1910 Classic on Tape Reading & Stock Market Tactics

Bo Yoder Author Of Optimize Your Trading Edge: Increase Profits, Reduce Draw-Downs, and Eliminate Leaks in Your Trading Strategy

From my list on helping you optimize your trading edge.

Why am I passionate about this?

I first fell in love with the markets when in 1995, I made more on 1 stock investment than I did working all winter in the freezing cold as a ski instructor. I see it as the world’s greatest game and it has given me a life of unparalleled freedom that I am eternally grateful for. Trading has allowed me to pursue my interests and go deep into behavioral psychology, economics, neurobiology, and would never have had the breakthroughs I have had like the Bottega method for AI or the Myalolipsis technique for developing effortless, unshakable self-discipline if I hadn’t been an active trader.

Bo's book list on helping you optimize your trading edge

Bo Yoder Why did Bo love this book?

The markets are always changing. My ability to maintain performance for over 25+ years I believe comes from my deep foundation in the universal principles that drive market prices.

This book was pivotal in my understanding that some things never change. It is a bit difficult to get through, since it was written in the early 1900s. I think the strangeness of the language forced me to really think through and understand the lessons the book teaches.

In my experience, mental strengthening is step #1. 

Then you need to learn the art of behavioral analysis and economic psychology if you want to be able to consistently understand why markets move so you can begin to forecast those movements…

This book is a great place to get that process started.

By Rollo Tape, Richard DeMille Wyckoff,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Studies in Tape Reading as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Rollo Tape is the colorful pen name of Richard D. Wyckoff. This 1910 classic on tape reading and stock market tactics is by one of its most astute students. Wyckoff for many years was a publisher of the Ticker Magazine which was later changed to The Magazine of Wall Street. He contributed more to the study of price movements than anyone else in America.


Book cover of The Master Swing Trader: Tools and Techniques to Profit from Outstanding Short-Term Trading Opportunities

Bo Yoder Author Of Optimize Your Trading Edge: Increase Profits, Reduce Draw-Downs, and Eliminate Leaks in Your Trading Strategy

From my list on helping you optimize your trading edge.

Why am I passionate about this?

I first fell in love with the markets when in 1995, I made more on 1 stock investment than I did working all winter in the freezing cold as a ski instructor. I see it as the world’s greatest game and it has given me a life of unparalleled freedom that I am eternally grateful for. Trading has allowed me to pursue my interests and go deep into behavioral psychology, economics, neurobiology, and would never have had the breakthroughs I have had like the Bottega method for AI or the Myalolipsis technique for developing effortless, unshakable self-discipline if I hadn’t been an active trader.

Bo's book list on helping you optimize your trading edge

Bo Yoder Why did Bo love this book?

Most traders think of the book Technical Analysis Of Stock Trends as the bible of chart reading. I think Alan Farley has surpassed them in this book.  

Alan is a great trader, and you can tell he has executed thousands of trades by how he wrote this book.  

Thick and richly dense with tons of easy-to-understand patterns and styles of analysis, this book will give you all the visual tools and patterns you need to analyze any market. It contains what you need to turn a chart from an incomprehensible bunch of squiggles into a story about the wants, needs, wishes, fears, and hopes of the other market participants. It belongs easily within reach on any serious trader’s bookshelf.

By Alan Farley,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Master Swing Trader as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This book offers powerful strategies to slip between day traders and long-term investors - and grab hidden trading profits! Located in the gray area between the lightning-fast day trader and the endlessly patient buy-and-hold investor, the modern swing trader executes intermediate positions that offer highly lucrative results with less volatility. "The Master Swing Trader" contains a wealth of practical insights and information for using this powerful trading method to profit from short-term price moves often missed by other market participants.After beginning with a detailed background on Pattern Cycle applications and the trend-range axis, "The Master Swing Trader" presents: dozens of…


Book cover of Come Into My Trading Room: A Complete Guide to Trading

Bo Yoder Author Of Optimize Your Trading Edge: Increase Profits, Reduce Draw-Downs, and Eliminate Leaks in Your Trading Strategy

From my list on helping you optimize your trading edge.

Why am I passionate about this?

I first fell in love with the markets when in 1995, I made more on 1 stock investment than I did working all winter in the freezing cold as a ski instructor. I see it as the world’s greatest game and it has given me a life of unparalleled freedom that I am eternally grateful for. Trading has allowed me to pursue my interests and go deep into behavioral psychology, economics, neurobiology, and would never have had the breakthroughs I have had like the Bottega method for AI or the Myalolipsis technique for developing effortless, unshakable self-discipline if I hadn’t been an active trader.

Bo's book list on helping you optimize your trading edge

Bo Yoder Why did Bo love this book?

Another trader who writes about the reality of trading for a living, Dr. Elder has really laid out many of the critical fundamentals of a successful trading operation in this book.  

Engaging and easy to read, this book will likely shock you with its simplicity, focus on planning, and conservative “grinding” for cash-flowing the markets.

Trading has this sexy image of well-dressed men screaming into phones, before they head out to their yachts. In reality it is supremely boring and the best traders I know live lives of complete freedom… Often totally unrecognized by their neighbors. 

This book gives you a real insight into the day-to-day operations of a career trader and it’s an important perspective shift for anybody wanting to make trading a significant aspect of their life.

By Alexander Elder,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Come Into My Trading Room as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The trading bible for the new millennium

In Come Into My Trading Room, noted trader and author Dr. Alexander Elder returns to expand far beyond the three M's (Mind, Method, and Money) of his bestselling Trading for a Living. Shifting focus from technical analysis to the overall management of a trader's money, time, and strategy, Dr. Elder takes readers from the fundamentals to the secrets of being a successful trader--identifying new, little known indicators that can lead to huge profits.

Come Into My Trading Room educates the novice and fortifies the professional through expert advice and proven trading methodologies. This…


Book cover of One Up on Wall Street: How to Use What You Already Know to Make Money in the Market

Gautam Baid Author Of The Joys of Compounding: The Passionate Pursuit of Lifelong Learning

From my list on value investing from a longtime investor.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am the Founder of Stellar Wealth Partners, a SEBI-registered Research Analyst firm and small case manager for investors in the Indian stock market. I am the author of the international best-seller on value investing, The Joys of Compounding. Once a strong foundation is created for a business, owners don’t work for money. Rather, money works for them. As an investor, your money is working for you 24/7. You are becoming wealthier with each passing second, alongside the increasing intrinsic value of your businesses. An investor builds earnings power through a business ownership mindset. 

Gautam's book list on value investing from a longtime investor

Gautam Baid Why did Gautam love this book?

In this book, Peter Lynch teaches how a common investor can get great returns from his investment in the stock market if he follows a few general investing principles and a common-sense investing approach. Lynch believes that with a little research and steady discipline, every common person can outperform the so-called investment gurus and make good returns. He suggests that many great investments could be right under their nose, if the investor is ready to do some research. Most people just have to look around the place where they work or the spots where they visit to grab those opportunities. A common person is exposed to many interesting local companies and products years before professional investors would even hear of them. If these investors find and invest in these growing local companies, they can make handsome returns.

By Peter Lynch, John Rothchild,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked One Up on Wall Street as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Peter Lynch believes that average investors have advantages over Wall Street experts. Since the best opportunities can be found at the local mall or in their own places of employment, beginners have the chance to learn about potentially successful companies long before before professional analysts discover them. This headstart on the experts is what produces 'tenbaggers', the stocks that appreciate tenfold or more and turn an average stock portfolio into a star performer. In this fully updated edition of his classic bestseller, Lynch explains how to research stocks and offers easy-to-follow directions for sorting out the long shots from the…


Book cover of What I Learned Losing a Million Dollars

Kevin J. Davey Author Of Entry and Exit Confessions of a Champion Trader: 52 Ways A Professional Speculator Gets In And Out Of The Stock, Futures And Forex Markets

From my list on that help to become a champion trader.

Why am I passionate about this?

I have been trading for over 30 years now, and I was lucky to be one of the part-time “hobby” traders to be successful enough to trade full time. Along the way, I was a 3-time trophy winner in the world’s premier real time, real money futures trading contest. My passion is trading, both for my personal accounts and in assisting my students with their trading. While I always say “trading is the hardest way to make easy money” this field is my lifelong passion.

Kevin's book list on that help to become a champion trader

Kevin J. Davey Why did Kevin love this book?

It is a shame the author of this book died in the 9/11 World Trade Center terrorist attack because I always wanted to hear more from him. As with most of the books on this list, for me the details of what he did (did he enter with moving averages? How did he apply stochastics to his entry signals? Etc.) are not nearly as important as his mental state of mind. What did he feel like losing $1 million? How did he recover mentally? For me, being a good trader involves dealing with losses, and this book does a superb job of detailing how one trader did just that.

By Jim Paul, Brendan Moynihan,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked What I Learned Losing a Million Dollars as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Jim Paul's meteoric rise took him from a small town in Northern Kentucky to governor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, yet he lost it all-his fortune, his reputation, and his job-in one fatal attack of excessive economic hubris. In this honest, frank analysis, Paul and Brendan Moynihan revisit the events that led to Paul's disastrous decision and examine the psychological factors behind bad financial practices in several economic sectors. This book-winner of a 2014 Axiom Business Book award gold medal-begins with the unbroken string of successes that helped Paul achieve a jet-setting lifestyle and land a key spot with the…


Book cover of Algorithmic and High-Frequency Trading

Ernest P. Chan Author Of Quantitative Trading: How to Build Your Own Algorithmic Trading Business

From my list on quantitative trading for beginners.

Why am I passionate about this?

A noted quantitative hedge fund manager and quant finance author, Ernie is the founder of QTS Capital Management and Predictnow.ai. Previously he has applied his expertise in machine learning at IBM T.J. Watson Research Center’s Human Language Technologies group, at Morgan Stanley’s Data Mining and Artificial Intelligence Group, and at Credit Suisse’s Horizon Trading Group. Ernie was quoted by Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Forbes, and the CIO magazine, and interviewed on CNBC’s Closing Bell program. He is an adjunct faculty at Northwestern University’s Master’s in Data Science program and supervises student theses there. Ernie holds a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Cornell University.

Ernest's book list on quantitative trading for beginners

Ernest P. Chan Why did Ernest love this book?

Finally, for those who are not afraid of math, they should read this book because there is a lot of heavy-duty math. The good news for the rest of us is you can ignore all the math and still get a lot out of it, especially knowledge about market microstructure and how to find the theoretically optimal trading strategies given some assumptions about the price dynamics. Even if you don’t want to or can’t solve those darn stochastic differential equations, you can still implement a numerical approximation. At the minimum, you will learn common trading lingo such as “walking the book” or “the ITCH feed”.

By Alvaro Cartea, Sebastian Jaimungal, Jose Penalva

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Algorithmic and High-Frequency Trading as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The design of trading algorithms requires sophisticated mathematical models backed up by reliable data. In this textbook, the authors develop models for algorithmic trading in contexts such as executing large orders, market making, targeting VWAP and other schedules, trading pairs or collection of assets, and executing in dark pools. These models are grounded on how the exchanges work, whether the algorithm is trading with better informed traders (adverse selection), and the type of information available to market participants at both ultra-high and low frequency. Algorithmic and High-Frequency Trading is the first book that combines sophisticated mathematical modelling, empirical facts and…


Book cover of Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation

Andrew Chow Author Of Cryptomania: Hype, Hope, and the Fall of Ftx's Billion-Dollar Fintech Empire

From my list on understanding crypto in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Crypto’s rollercoaster journey has given rise to some of the most thrilling real-life tales of the last two decades. These tales teem with personal drama and reveal much larger truths: about our fractured global moment, about the ripple effects of well-intentioned technological systems, and about the massive divide between how we want society to function and how it actually does. 

As much as some people wish it dead, crypto is not going away any time soon. Many of its followers have adopted a religious-like belief that it will transform humanity and bring unlimited wealth to its followers; others simply believe it to be a good investment. Their collective trust in these strange digital currencies means that crypto will continue to shape the world in unpredictable ways. 

Andrew's book list on understanding crypto in 2024

Andrew Chow Why did Andrew love this book?

Capitalism is a saga of booms and busts, and few tell the story with as much vim and rigor as the historian Edward Chancellor. Across centuries of hype cycles, Chancellor shows why entire cultures get sucked into brazen schemes promising riches and utopia.

Some of those schemes help facilitate the rise of genuinely revolutionary technologies, like the steam engine. And others go absolutely nowhere and end up destroying the lives of their many investors. 

By Edward Chancellor,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Devil Take the Hindmost as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of The Three Skills of Top Trading: Behavioral Systems Building, Pattern Recognition, and Mental State Management

Rubén Villahermosa Author Of The Wyckoff Methodology in Depth

From my list on stock market price and volume analysis.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am Rubén Villahermosa, independent trader and author. My logical and rational mind led me to question the why of market movements, which allowed me to learn the principles of the Wyckoff method. I have deepened in the study of the interaction between supply and demand through high-level Technical Analysis tools such as Wyckoff, VSA, Price Action, Volume Profile, and Order Flow; knowledge that I share through my books from principles of honesty, transparency, and responsibility.

Rubén's book list on stock market price and volume analysis

Rubén Villahermosa Why did Rubén love this book?

Professor Hank Pruden's book covers a more holistic perspective as he develops elements of system building, pattern recognition, and mental state discipline.

In the technical section he teaches us key concepts of the Wyckoff Method such as the protocolization of the development of accumulation and distribution structures through phases, a fundamental contribution to the Wyckoffian community.

By Hank Pruden,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Three Skills of Top Trading as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Praise for The Three Skills of Top Trading "Professor Pruden's new book, The Three Skills of Top Trading, is unquestionably the best book on a specific trading method and the necessary attributes for trading that I have read. His logic, understanding of human foibles, and use of the Wyckoff method of trading are broadly referenced, readable, understandable, and entertaining." - Charles D. Kirkpatrick, II, CMT, coauthor of Technical Analysis: The Complete Resource for Financial Market Technicians, Editor of the Journal of Technical Analysis, and board member of the Market Technicians Association "At long last, someone has taken the time and…


Book cover of Trading from Your Gut: How to Use Right Brain Instinct & Left Brain Smarts to Become a Master Trader

Alan Northcott Author Of Mastering Technical Analysis: Strategies and Tactics for Trading the Financial Markets

From my list on cracking the trading code.

Why am I passionate about this?

I came from a left-brained family, with my father a bank Forex manager and my mother in the tax office before motherhood. I've always been mathematically minded and went into mechanical engineering before my second career in trading and finance. But saying this sustains the fallacy that you have to have a head for numbers to trade. That is nothing like the truth, and I hope my last book pick shows that I have learnt and come a long way from my initial beliefs. Trading is anything but mathematical, mechanistic, or even natural, you have to study and learn new ways of thinking and doing, and you can only succeed if you are open to this.

Alan's book list on cracking the trading code

Alan Northcott Why did Alan love this book?

Subtitled How to Use Right Brain Instinct & Left Brain Smarts to Become a Master Trader, this book is written by one of the original Turtle Traders and draws on Curtis' experience in developing a whole-brain approach to trading. As such, it is a quantum leap from the run-of-the-mill trading book, and very worthy of some study.

I was privileged to get a review copy which so impressed me that I provided inside and back cover endorsements. I've only done so with a couple of other books, which should show you how greatly I believe in what he is presenting.

By Curtis Faith,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Trading from Your Gut as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"For all those who wonder if the powers of right brain thinking could apply to the trends-and-charts universe of stock and options trading, Curtis Faith has their answer. In Trading from Your Gut, Faith taps brain research, neurological models, and the wisdom of experience to provide a roadmap for decision making in a new era of volatility."

-Daniel H. Pink, author of A Whole New Mind and Drive

"I consider a book to be worth reading if it helps me develop a major paradigm shift. The section in this book about how to train your brain to help you become…


Book cover of The Way of the Warrior Trader: The Financial Risk-Taker's Guide to Samurai Courage, Confidence and Discipline
Book cover of Studies in Tape Reading: A 1910 Classic on Tape Reading & Stock Market Tactics
Book cover of The Master Swing Trader: Tools and Techniques to Profit from Outstanding Short-Term Trading Opportunities

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