Best trading books to read in 2023

By:

Prash Raval

Prash is a financial writer for Invezz covering FX, the stock market and investing. For over a decade he has traded spot FX full time while... read more.

Updated: Sep 18, 2023

Listen

---

---

0:00 / 06:13

Ad disclosure

Invezz is an independent platform with the goal of helping users achieve financial freedom. In order to fund our work, we partner with advertisers who compensate us for users that Invezz refers to their services. While our reviews and assessments of each product on the site are independent and unbiased, brands may pay to appear higher up our table rankings or place ads in specific areas of the site. The order in which products and services appear on Invezz does not represent an endorsement from us, and please be aware that there may be other platforms available to you than the products and services that appear on our website. Read more about how we make money >

Learn how to improve your trading strategy by reading the best investment books from the most successful traders. These top stock trading books cover topics ranging from ow to get started to detailed analysis of popular trading techniques.

The 10 best trading books for 2023

If you enter the search term ‘trading books’ into Amazon, you’ll find over 50,000 titles to choose from. Lots of them are not only expensive and outdated, but few provide the information you need to improve your trading skills.

Our experts have read everything that’s worth casting your eye at in the trading world and come up with a list of the top 10 must read trading books.

Without further ado, here they are:

1. Trading in the Zone by Mark Douglas
2. Reminiscences of a stock operator by Edwin Lefèvre
3. Think and trade like a champion by Mark Minervini
4. Market Wizards by Jack Schwager
5. Trading to win by Ari Kiev
6. Trade your way to financial freedom by Van K. Tharp
7. Way of the turtle by Curtis Faith
8. How to day trade for a living by Andrew Aziz
9. Mastering the trade by John F. Carter 
10. Japanese Candlestick Charting Techniques by Steve Nison

Keep reading for a synopsis of the best stock trading books and why we recommend them.

Best trading psychology books

Trading in the zone

Trading in the Zone has fast become one of the most popular books among retail traders. Trading in the Zone is less about the intricacies of technical analysis, instead it’s focused on the psychological side of navigating the markets.

The book provides the tools and expertise to improve your psychology and shows you how to handle winning and losing. Every beginner should read this book when they start their trading journey.

Reminiscences of a stock operator

Reminiscences of a Stock Operator tells the story of Jesse Livermore, a stock trader and speculator who made and then lost a fortune trading the US market in the early 1900s.

Again, this book is all about how to deal with the psychology of being a trader rather than laying out specific stock trading strategies. But that makes it a fantastic read, full of insights that can make you a more disciplined trader.

While you won’t learn any trading strategies, the book is a favourite among traders looking to understand the psychology behind short term trading. 

Trading to Win

Trading to Win is another book that takes a look at the psychological side of trading. Written by Ari Keiv, the book dives into how human and market psychology are linked in the context of risk taking.

There are lots of examples explaining common psychological traps traders fall into and helpful tools for how to overcome them that you can apply to your own trading journey.

Best technical trading books

Think and trade like a champion

Mark Minervini was a hugely successful professional trader and has published multiple books outlining the skills required to make it in the business. Think and Trade Like a Champion follows on from his first book, Trade Like a Stock Market Wizard.

Both books provide vast amounts of useful information on the fundamental and technical analysis that you need to master to succeed. Learn about broader concepts like swing trading, day trading, and more before digging into the detail on trend following, momentum trading, and risk management. 

Market Wizards

The Market Wizards series includes Market Wizards, The New Market Wizards, Hedge Fund Wizards, and Unknown Market Wizards. All of these books are worth reading and provide different perspectives on how successful traders trade.

The series is packed full of fascinating insights from top professional traders that explain their key principles and provide in-depth information that you can use to become a better trader and create your own system.

For example, Unknown Market Wizards includes the story of how one trader turned $2,500 into over $50 million using simple techniques. We aren’t saying this book will make you a millionaire, but it’ll certainly give you valuable insights into how to trade successfully like the best.

Trade your way to financial freedom

Van K. Tharp is one of the world’s leading trading educators and coaches. In Trade Your Way to Financial Freedom he presents a 17-step trading model that even beginners can understand and implement.

A strong focus on risk to reward multiples and their importance for long term success runs through the book. This teaches you the value of risk management and how to think like the most successful fund managers on Wall Street.

Best trading books for beginners

Way of the turtle

Way of the Turtle describes a 25-year long experiment in trading. A group of regular people were turned into successful traders and made millions of dollars from the markets. The book outlines the trading strategies they used, the training they received, and how they put it all into action over the course of two decades. 

How to day trade for a living 

How to Day Trade for a Living is a top rated book for beginners wanting to learn more about short term trading. It has gained thousands of 5 star reviews from novice traders around the world and breaks down the trading strategies and tools required for a successful day trading career.

In the book you’ll find information about how to find intraday setups, psychology, and much more to boost your technical analysis and improve your stock trading skills.

Japanese Candlestick Charting Techniques

Steve Nilson is considered as the man who introduced Japanese candlesticks to the western world and is somewhat of a master in the field. The book, Japanese Candlestick Charting Techniques, provides an in depth view into the popular approach to stock market analysis. This is a truly comprehensive guide and has hundreds of examples of different candlestick patterns and uses. 

Best trading book for experienced traders

Mastering the trade 

Author of Mastering the Trade, John F. Carter has over two decades of experience trading for a living. This book is aimed at those who already have some knowledge and has a particular focus on options and ETFs.

Mastering the Trade provides exact entry, exit, and stop loss rules for swing trading and intraday trading, among many other trading strategies and information. 

Are trading books worth it?

It depends on what book you pick up. Retail financial trading is a massive business and there are thousands of books on the subject. Not every book is a must read and there are lots that provide little information. However, a good trading book can take your trading to the next level. Before buying any trading book it’s a good idea to read reviews like the one on this page.