A Trader's First Book on Commodities: An Introduction to the World's Fastest Growing Market

This book by Carley Garner introduces you to the world of commodities trading in the futures market. She begins by making a descripction of the rally in 2007 and 2008 and the crash of the commodities market in 2008-2009, that caused hugh loses to many traders.The book contains not only an explanation of the markets and how they work, but also some very interesting chapters on how to select a broker if you want to risk your money in these markets. Then she explains the different type of orders that operate in relation to the futures markets. Finally she does an overview of the different commodity markets. One of the most relevant aspects of this book is that Ms. Garner has been a broker for many years and knows first hand the operation and risks inherent to these markets.She explores also the emotional aspects of commodities trading, and how many people excel in simulated trading using sensible strategies, but when real money is involved they tend to 'follow the pack'. A very interesting insight into waht is required to become a mature trader.Something that you will not find in this book are the kind of 'magic' - 'win always' recipes. If those were true, all traders would become rich in a couple of years.I think this book is a must to anyone who wants to risk his or her savings in the futures and options markets. The most important phrase in the book is "The typical trader is a net loser". This book convinced me that futures and options trading in the commodities markets is not for me. That is already a plus and a good reason to purchase this book.

So this book gets you quickly (and cheaply on kindle) up to speed on the nature of the commodities markets. The book is fairly short and I believe I got through it in about a week. I'm using this as a primer on commodities and from here hope to delve further into specific futures and options markets. If you're looking for a book to do the same, this will fit the bill. My only complaint is that in some areas the math gets a little redundant so don't be afraid to skim as you see appropriate.

It's a good "first book" for those interested in commodities, but it's about a mile-wide in breadth and maybe an inch deep, so even complex topics, instead of being clearly explained and saying "do more research to understand X better" you instead just get the basic, dumbed down explanation, which misleads those newer to commodity markets into thinking they grasp at least 50% of the topic. In reality, it teaches 100% of the basic concept, and ignores 95% of the complex parts. All commodities aren't thought of, analyzed, traded, stored or leveraged the same - and the book doesn't really go into depth on this, which is pretty critical.

I was dumb as a brick regarding commodities trading until reading this book. Now I'm knowledgeable enough to understand how the process works. I bought this before the MF Global fiasco, and now I know exactly why I never want to trade in this market.Good first book for newbies.

This is an excellent book for someone who is interested in learning the very basic fundamentals of trading . I personally teach & tutor Futures trading on a limited bases and I recommend this book to someone who has zero knowledge of trading but has a desire to learn . Very good basic information !

Although much of the information in this book has use, it can often be the authors opinion and it often delves to much into the mechanics of brokering and gives to much of a brokers perspective on the subject. But nevertheless it is a good and informative book to have on the shelf and it has many points and subjects inside the book that simply won't be covered on other books

The author does a very good job of describing the world of futures trading. This is not a book about how to trade futures. Instead it is an introduction to how you would go about trading futures. If you are curious about trading futures, read this book. It will give you insight into whether futures trading is something you might want to consider.

The kindle intro to this book is very decepting. Take the time to browse through the index and you see what I mean. You will get a very basic intro into commodities (how to choose a broker, how the first futures emerged, etc.).There is absolutely nothing about strategies with commodities in the book so I personally could not take anything from it.And it is a very thin book, easy to digest in a single evening...Lucerne, 5.6.2010Stephan Wiesner

This is an ok read. Initially I found it hard to follow, but then revisited some of the chapters and realized that the chapters in the book don't flow linearly.After purchasing this book, I've use it as a reference whenever I'm stuck on something. I jump to the chapter and look for the information. Not a complete bust, but was expecting more from this book.

Just an introduction in technical analysis, but not really practical. Not bad, but neither what I expected from a "First Book".

It a good starter book.