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What investing book did you enjoy the most, or which influenced you the most to be a better investor?

If your favorite book is already listed, please up-vote. If your favorite investing book is not already listed, please add it. If you specifically don't like a book listed, you can down-vote it, but please leave a comment about why you didn't like it.

Note: Please list only one book per answer, and no duplicates.

I'll seed the list with a few I liked. :-)

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This is no longer on topic and matches the FAQ "What kind of questions should I NOT ask here?" question: every answer is equally valid: “What’s your favorite ______?” – Alex B♦ Nov 30 '11 at 22:26
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closed as off topic by Alex B♦ Nov 30 '11 at 22:26

Questions on Personal Finance and Money - Stack Exchange are expected to generally relate to Personal Finance and Money, within the scope defined in the faq.

16 Answers

up vote 16 down vote

The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham.

Cover: The Intelligent Investor

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My favorite thing about this book is that it defines the goal of investing as: "An investment operation is one which, upon thorough analysis, promises safety of principal and an adequate return" - lots of newer books have irrelevant discussion of beating the market. You can beat the market (or match it) while having both inadequate returns and lack of safety. Because economic theory has been framed in terms of beating the market, people start thinking in the wrong way. Here's a longer commentary: blog.ometer.com/2010/11/10/… – Havoc P Jan 30 '11 at 15:33
Is this for the beginner? – Kaushik Mar 24 '11 at 21:55
@Kaushik Yes, it can be read by beginners. – Chris W. Rea♦ Mar 24 '11 at 23:33
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up vote 8 down vote

The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America by Warren E. Buffett.

Cover: [The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America

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up vote 8 down vote

The Random Walk Guide to Investing by Burton G. Malkiel.

Cover: The Random Walk Guide to Investing

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up vote 5 down vote

The Four Pillars of Investing by William Bernstein.

Cover: The Four Pillars of Investing

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up vote 3 down vote

The Little Book That Beats the Market by Joel Greenblatt

Cover: The Little Book That Beats the Market

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up vote 3 down vote

The Richest Man in Babylon, by George Samuel Clason

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Classic book! Old, but still relevant and explains the basics using stories. – GiddyUpHorsey Mar 7 '11 at 23:10
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up vote 3 down vote

Some very nice books there, however I like One Up On Wall Street by Peter Lynch. enter image description here

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up vote 2 down vote

Unconventional Success - A Fundamental Approach to Personal Investment
by David F. Swensen

Cover: Unconventional Success - A Fundamental Approach to Personal Investment

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up vote 2 down vote

The Financial Times Guide to Investing by Glen Arnold

The Financial Times Guide to Investing

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up vote 2 down vote

The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing by Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer and Michael LeBoeuf The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing

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up vote 2 down vote

The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need by Andrew Tobias

enter image description here

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up vote 1 down vote

You Can Be a Stock Market Genius: Uncover the Secret Hiding Places of Stock Market Profits by Joel Greenblatt

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up vote 1 down vote

Value Investing, From Graham to Buffett and Beyond by Bruce Greenwald, Judd Kahn, Paul Sonkin and Michael Van Biema

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up vote 0 down vote

Winning the Loser's Game by Charles D. Ellis

Cover: Winning the Loser's Game

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up vote 0 down vote

The Only Guide to a Winning Investment Strategy You'll Ever Need by Larry E. Swedroe

Cover: The Only Guide to a Winning Investment Strategy You'll Ever Need

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up vote 0 down vote

Charles Schwab's New Guide to Financial Independence by Charles Schwab

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