Jon, aka Fickle Trader, has a review of the new hardcover version of “Reminiscences of a Stock Operator”. The paperback one of my favorite stock market books and since I’m due for a re-reading of it I may have to pick up this new edition. Here’s the description from Amazon:

Unknown to most modern-day investors and traders who cherish Reminiscences of a Stock Operator as one of the most important investment books ever written, the material first appeared in the 1920s as a series of articles and illustrations in the Saturday Evening Post. Now, for the first time ever, this beloved classic is being made available in its original, illustrated format.

You’ll track the exploits of Jesse Livermore as he won and lost tens of millions of dollars playing the stock and commodities markets during the early 1900s. At one point, he made the then astronomical sum of 10 million dollars in just one month of trading!

Originally published as a fictionalized account, the Illustrated Edition combines the Saturday Evening Post’s memorable illustrations with Edwin LeFevre’s timeless investment advice, recreating the look, feel, and message that was first published more than 80 years ago. Among the most compelling and enduring pieces ever written on trading, the new Illustrated Edition brings this story to life like never before.

From the Inside Flap
Reminiscences of a Stock Operator is the fictionalized biography of Jesse Livermore, one of the greatest speculators ever. The timeless insights found within these pages have inspired countless generations of investors and made this book one of the foremost investment classics of all time. And although most modern-day investors and traders are familiar with this investment classic, many do not know that Reminiscences of a Stock Operator first appeared in the 1920s as a series of articles and illustrations in The Saturday Evening Post. Now, for the first time ever, this beloved classic is available in its original, illustrated format.

And here are some key points from Jon’s review:

I picked it up and started reading the first paragraph and realized right away that it was different from the first paragraph of the paperback edition! I started flipping around trying to find where the paperback book picked up, but this only deepened my confusion because I found a lot more passages that weren’t familiar throughout the entire book.

Larry Livingston is narrating to the reader in the paperback edition, but the narrator of the first article in the hardcover edition is talking about Larry Livingston in 3rd person. In fact, the entire hard-cover edition is written this way. The reason is because in the original “Saturday Evening Post” articles, Le’Fevre is the narrator! As I read through the hardcover edition I could see how Larry Livingston’s narration from the paperback was constructed almost word for word from all the quotes we get from Le’Fevre’s interviews with Livingston.

If I had to recommend one over the other, I would recommend the paperback edition. But if you are like me and you re-read the paperback edition every 3 or 4 months, then you should consider picking up a copy of the hardback edition because there is quite a bit of new content. In closing, my favorite new part of the hardback edition is the first article, where we haven’t been introduced to Larry Livingston yet, but we get to witness one of his bear raids from a frantic brokerage office!

If you haven’t read either version yet do yourself a favor and pick it up.