This story is set in a dream, but it is about getting a real financial and investing education -- the kind one can't get from companies hawking investment vehicles or "dummy"-type wealth books. The dream is an entertaining, educational adventure that involves encounters with dozens of informative animal characters like a legal weasel, a cash cow, an inflation hawk, a corporate mole, and a financial chicken. H. Ross Parrot, Warren Basset, Billy Goats, and Dr. Green Spin participate as well. The dreamer begins with barely any understanding of the financial and investing world, but wakes up aware that he probably now knows more than most people, including many Wall Street-trained investment advisers. The author died before the book was published, but his years as a broker, teacher, and writer give the reader a doggone good look at life in the financial world.

Pentland Press, 5122 Bur Oak Circle, Raleigh, NC 27612, 800 948-2786, fax 919 781-9042, www.pentlandpressusa.com

With the demise of daytrading, traders are searching for new methods of exploiting the unprecedented volatility of post-September 11th securities markets. Swing trading is a technical approach that allows traders to profit from shorter-term price moves, ranging from several days to a couple of months. In Advanced Swing Trading, trader and trading coach John Crane describes his original action/reaction swing trading system. With the help of numerous real-world examples, Crane clearly delineates his system and shows readers how to use it to consistently gain big returns in even the shakiest of markets.

Wiley Book Order Department, 1 Wiley Drive, Somerset, NJ 08875, 800 225-5945, 732 469-4400 x2497, www.wiley.com

The "triple waterfalls" discussed here are what bear markets look like on a graph. This book tells investors where to look, and what to look for, in today's seemingly chaotic "triple waterfall" markets. Coxe applies the lessons of history to the current boom-and-bust market environment. His findings and insights will show you how to understand and profit from the triple waterfall phenomenon, how to forecast which direction inflation will turn, as well as when and why. He looks beyond the US borders to uncover investment opportunities. Whether you won or lost in the dot-com crash, there is money to be made today. This book will help you weather this roller-coaster market, and reveal where to look for today's most profitable stocks and opportunities.

McGraw-Hill, 11 West 19th St., New York, NY 10011, 614 755-4151, fax 212 337-4092, www.books.mcgraw-hill.com

This book is what its name implies. It is the book form of a college course on technical trading. It contains many graphs, some tables, and a few illustrations, all designed to make clear the points presented in the text. There are questions and simulations to give the reader a chance to practice technical analysis without losing any money in the process. However, the author also reminds us that mistakes are an integral part of the learning process. The basic tools associated with technical analysis are given a thorough exposition -- from trends, to point and figure charts, to a variety of indicators and theories. Not a book for the buy and hold investor, but a great resource for pure traders.

Wiley Book Order Department, 1 Wiley Drive, Somerset, NJ 08875, 800 225-5945, 732 469-4400 x2497, www.wiley.com

Value is concept that frequently eludes investors -- especially when it comes to stocks. But it is well worth the effort to nail it down. This book offers a systematic and feasible method that will allow you to identify value in the stock market and get your money's worth from the stocks you choose. A stock price that at first seems low may turn out to be quite high if the quality of the company you've invested in is poor. This book will prepare you to use a four-step screening method in your trading endeavors. By focusing on the way to separately assess a company and its stock price, the value connection method will help bridge the gap connecting good companies and good stocks -- and boost your bottom line in the process.

Wiley Book Order Department, 1 Wiley Drive, Somerset, NJ 08875, 800 225-5945, 732 469-4400 x2497, www.wiley.com

If you intend to trade options and win, you need a definable advantage. The nature of the advantage really doesn't matter. What does matter is recognizing and seizing the advantage whenever you can.

This book examines a broad methodology of trading that puts the likelihood of profits on your side of the table. This book offers a look at five main tactics of defense to use when trading options by themselves or options with assets. After learning how to protect yourself in the options and futures markets, this work goes on to show you strategies that give you an advantage in the market. If you want to improve your trading, and you already know the difference between a put and a call, and know the basic jargon of options, then this book is for you.

Wiley Book Order Department, 1 Wiley Drive, Somerset, NJ 08875, 800 225-5945, 732 469-4400 x2497, www.wiley.com