The Candlestick Course (Steve Nison)

As far as I know, this is Steve Nison's latest book on candlestick charting. What it does, it does very well indeed. It's the best book for newcomers (especially self-study types) to the subject that I've ever found, and I've checked most of them. In fact, if you're new to technical analysis, you can start here as well. Although there's more to technical analysis than candlestick charting, one has to start somewhere, and once you've mastered the concepts introduced here, the rest will make a lot more sense to you. The problem with most books that claim to be introductory works is that they're really not. You read a few pages, and then all of a sudden the author starts introducing words he or she hasn't defined, or starts talking about subjects that he or she just assumes you know about. Steve Nison doesn't do this. He takes you step by step, and each chapter concludes with review questions and answers, so that you'll be able to move to the next chapter. And you don't have to worry that... Read more

I abandoned the Gregory Morris book, "Candlestick Charting Explained," because of the unnecessarily complex and not useful amount of detail. I truly enjoyed the narrative parts of "The Candlestick Course," finding the explanations clear and concise. However, I was appalled and frustrated by the incredibly poor, difficult-to-use layout of the illustrations, particularly in the Q&A; sections. One had to flip pages between the questions and the answers/explanations, then flip between the "question charts" and the "answer charts." It was ludicrous! Anyway, I am really glad I read the book and persevered, because I think it's good. But, please get a good editor!!!!

I was very excited to start this book, thinking I would find a trading tool that matched my visual senses. However, I was disappointed to find that there really is no difference between candles and OHLC. It's true, that candles are a more visual representation of the same data. But, not any more useful. One annoying aspect of Nison's personality is that he keeps trying to convince you how much better candles are than OHLC. Aside from the visual acuity (i.e. colors, wider bars), it's the same Steve! Sorry. Western culture interprets the OHLC data differently than the Japanese, that is all. So, to that effect you learn how the Japanese interpret the data. But, they still can't be used reliably without other Western indicators. So, if you already have a trading strategy that you think might be enhanced by another "edge", go for it. Don't think you can use candles all by themselves though. As far as Nison's style of writing, I found it a bit insulting on an intellectual leve... Read more

This is a wonderful book for people who are new to Japanese canadlesticks. Its written in an easy to read format and in layman language. On top of that, at the end of chapter, there is a set of questions that test your knowledge of the topics that was just covered. However, my only gripe would be it does not go in-depth enough, it only covers the basics. Some real life examples (i.e. Charts) on each topic covered would have been nice. Great book for Japanese candlestick newbies but skip it if you are on an intermediate level or above.

Being a novice to candlesticks I was open to a new world of analysis this book ofered. Comming from a background of chart pattern plotting , I wanted to find another indicator that was a realible cross check for the signals. I thought that the instruction and layout of each chapter was thoughtful and educational. I especially liked the little review section at the end of the chapters. However I found the true application of the principles to require a more intrinsic approach to the reader. It made for a great intoduction and general apprecitaion for the art of candlesticking, but a course it is not. For those NOT looking for a light snack move on to a real meal.