Japanese Candlestick Charting Techniques - Second Edition

The contenet is great & very helpful in the trade, but i didn't like the hardcocer wrapped With the book dust jacket cover. This makes it difficult to read & maintain such a very big & bulky book.

The info contained is concise, well explsined and detailed with example pictures. It does not beat about the bush and wastes time, but resoects that yiu as a reader are here for one reason: to learn candlestick patterns, formations and ques...tgere us however a mayor drawback: the orint: which has the text so far into the spine if the book you have to wrestle with it to read the words unfortunate enough to be by the center of thd book. Meanwhile there id plenty of room along the edges ... whoever designed this git paid fir a poor job. And as any reading that demands concentration such irritants can be detrimental.

Content is great with Japanese proverbs providing
mind pictures and detailed explanations for various
patterns. However the layout is terrible. You constantly
have to flip pages to see his reference exhibits. Also he does
little to show setups: entry and exit points in real trades. I
reccommend the book but be prepared to be frustrated!

UPDATE:
I have finally finished reading the book. The information it contains is good, but could be laid out much better. I hope that this review might help someone else avoid (or at least be aware of) the issues I have with this rather expensive book.

To start, I'm not commenting on the actual information in the book (mostly). Most everyone says that Steve Nison knows his stuff. Rather I'm very disappointed in the layout of the book. This makes it very difficult to follow, and comprehend the information.

1. The font is VERY large, I can read it from 6 feet away.
2. While the book is large, text is only printed on two-thirds of the page, which causes you to change lines every 5 seconds. It is also bunched to the center fold.
3. Charts also take up only 66% of the page width. There is way too much vertical white space along the outside of the pages.
4. Very often he refers to a chart in the text, but that chart is 2 pages back, it's hard to follow the explanation.
5. Since the charts could be wider, and as they don't have every date listed at the bottom, (or other identifier) he often points out a day in the text, that doesn't have a date on the chart. This makes you have to hunt (and guess) for which candle he's talking about.

Overall, I feel that if the font issue, and white space issues were resolved, this would be a much better book. But, I would suggest trying to find an old version of it (used). I have a PDF copy of the one from 1991, and while the white space isn't perfect, it's better, and the font size is much better.

The publisher certainly should have corrected all of these issues.

I did read an online version "Profitable Candlestick Trading: Pinpointing Market Opportunities to Maximize Profits" by Stephen W. Bigalow from my local library website, and found that to be very good. It is the next one I'll be getting in print.

Like another reviewer stated, getting the good information is like pulling teeth, painful.

The author has a simple writing style with occasional apt words
like 'corroborate' and 'ambivalent'. Touches of humor are
present here and there. This book reveals Japanese
charting method. It is best used with Western methods which
is briefly mentioned in the section 'Convergence'.

Be watchful about the accuracy of the signals. Perhaps some
day, somebody will backtest the accuracy.

I wonder why the book is abnormally large in dimensions.

I am literate in the world of technical analysis, and I have had some experience with candlesticks in the past. This book was a comprehensive introduction to candlestick techniques. The author is a bit full of himself, and there's a lot of filler, but overall it was worth the [...] bucks because he knows what he's talking about.

I bought this book based on countless other reviews, I plan on reading this book during the long winter months as this has been one of my goals to discover how to use candlesticks for my investor skills

This book is about the worst book regarding trading. The only useful information in this book is about the hammer and shooting star. How often have you ever heard traders talk about buying these crazy named patterns. No they talk about support and resistance. In my opinion if you're a technical trader there is only one book worthwhile reading and it is Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets by John Murphy.

I bought this book based on countless other reviews, I plan on reading this book during the long winter months as this has been one of my goals to discover how to use candlesticks for my investor skills

This book is about the worst book regarding trading. The only useful information in this book is about the hammer and shooting star. How often have you ever heard traders talk about buying these crazy named patterns. No they talk about support and resistance. In my opinion if you're a technical trader there is only one book worthwhile reading and it is Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets by John Murphy.

If you are relatively new to the financial markets, chances are that technical charts may seem overwhelming at first. This is a great book if you want to learn the logic of technical analysis. It is a written in a very interactive and smooth flowing manner. The content is broken down into 20 chapters most of them describing different types of patterns and interpretations. The further classification of these occurrences into reversals and continuation patterns really gives the readers a firm basis to learn. He discusses the psychology of the candlestick patterns which will help the readers to understand the subject ground up. The book is filled with charts and drawings making it all the more exciting. He has also dedicated a few chapters for the study of indicators like Moving averages, Fibonacci retracements, MACD, Oscillators, open interest etc. This can help you refine your skill set. The questions at the each chapter is a very useful learning tool. This field of knowledge is presented in a very ‘dependable’ way and most of the writing seem optimistic from the word go.

One of the drawbacks of this book is that it does lay emphasis on the effect of market cycles. For instance, the condition of the overall market would play a significant role in determining the patterns. Also I think the significance of the patterns differ from a case to case basis.

This book will be most useful to people who believe in:
• Short Term trading
• Directional trading
• Timing the market
• Algorithmic trading and coding strategies
• Technical stuff more than fundamentals

It is an enjoyable read. Specialized knowledge is not required to understand this one.

First the good. This has AWESOME information and was very informative. Now for the bad. This lacks a serious editor, particularly for kindle readers. The numbers on the graphs, are indistinguishable and the charts are NEVER corresponding to the page you are reading. What does that mean for you? That means you have to read the literature, go up a page or two to the graph, come back to the literature and maybe back to the graph, so it sinks in. HIGHLY ANNOYING. This makes a 300 page book feel like 1200 pages, but it makes even more difficult than that, since its more annoying that 1200 pages. I would love to tag a picture of one of the pages, to show my point. IF i figure out how to, i will do so. This may be the most annoying book, I have read, in regards to kindle editorial thought, but the information is gold. Really a 6/5 cut down to a 3/5, due to lack of editorial consideration grrrr

If you are relatively new to the financial markets, chances are that technical charts may seem overwhelming at first. This is a great book if you want to learn the logic of technical analysis. It is a written in a very interactive and smooth flowing manner. The content is broken down into 20 chapters most of them describing different types of patterns and interpretations. The further classification of these occurrences into reversals and continuation patterns really gives the readers a firm basis to learn. He discusses the psychology of the candlestick patterns which will help the readers to understand the subject ground up. The book is filled with charts and drawings making it all the more exciting. He has also dedicated a few chapters for the study of indicators like Moving averages, Fibonacci retracements, MACD, Oscillators, open interest etc. This can help you refine your skill set. The questions at the each chapter is a very useful learning tool. This field of knowledge is presented in a very ‘dependable’ way and most of the writing seem optimistic from the word go.

One of the drawbacks of this book is that it does lay emphasis on the effect of market cycles. For instance, the condition of the overall market would play a significant role in determining the patterns. Also I think the significance of the patterns differ from a case to case basis.

This book will be most useful to people who believe in:
• Short Term trading
• Directional trading
• Timing the market
• Algorithmic trading and coding strategies
• Technical stuff more than fundamentals

It is an enjoyable read. Specialized knowledge is not required to understand this one.

If you are relatively new to the financial markets, chances are that technical charts may seem overwhelming at first. This is a great book if you want to learn the logic of technical analysis. It is a written in a very interactive and smooth flowing manner. The content is broken down into 20 chapters most of them describing different types of patterns and interpretations. The further classification of these occurrences into reversals and continuation patterns really gives the readers a firm basis to learn. He discusses the psychology of the candlestick patterns which will help the readers to understand the subject ground up. The book is filled with charts and drawings making it all the more exciting. He has also dedicated a few chapters for the study of indicators like Moving averages, Fibonacci retracements, MACD, Oscillators, open interest etc. This can help you refine your skill set. The questions at the each chapter is a very useful learning tool. This field of knowledge is presented in a very ‘dependable’ way and most of the writing seem optimistic from the word go.

One of the drawbacks of this book is that it does lay emphasis on the effect of market cycles. For instance, the condition of the overall market would play a significant role in determining the patterns. Also I think the significance of the patterns differ from a case to case basis.

This book will be most useful to people who believe in:
• Short Term trading
• Directional trading
• Timing the market
• Algorithmic trading and coding strategies
• Technical stuff more than fundamentals

It is an enjoyable read. Specialized knowledge is not required to understand this one.

If you are relatively new to the financial markets, chances are that technical charts may seem overwhelming at first. This is a great book if you want to learn the logic of technical analysis. It is a written in a very interactive and smooth flowing manner. The content is broken down into 20 chapters most of them describing different types of patterns and interpretations. The further classification of these occurrences into reversals and continuation patterns really gives the readers a firm basis to learn. He discusses the psychology of the candlestick patterns which will help the readers to understand the subject ground up. The book is filled with charts and drawings making it all the more exciting. He has also dedicated a few chapters for the study of indicators like Moving averages, Fibonacci retracements, MACD, Oscillators, open interest etc. This can help you refine your skill set. The questions at the each chapter is a very useful learning tool. This field of knowledge is presented in a very ‘dependable’ way and most of the writing seem optimistic from the word go.

One of the drawbacks of this book is that it does lay emphasis on the effect of market cycles. For instance, the condition of the overall market would play a significant role in determining the patterns. Also I think the significance of the patterns differ from a case to case basis.

This book will be most useful to people who believe in:
• Short Term trading
• Directional trading
• Timing the market
• Algorithmic trading and coding strategies
• Technical stuff more than fundamentals

It is an enjoyable read. Specialized knowledge is not required to understand this one.

If you are relatively new to the financial markets, chances are that technical charts may seem overwhelming at first. This is a great book if you want to learn the logic of technical analysis. It is a written in a very interactive and smooth flowing manner. The content is broken down into 20 chapters most of them describing different types of patterns and interpretations. The further classification of these occurrences into reversals and continuation patterns really gives the readers a firm basis to learn. He discusses the psychology of the candlestick patterns which will help the readers to understand the subject ground up. The book is filled with charts and drawings making it all the more exciting. He has also dedicated a few chapters for the study of indicators like Moving averages, Fibonacci retracements, MACD, Oscillators, open interest etc. This can help you refine your skill set. The questions at the each chapter is a very useful learning tool. This field of knowledge is presented in a very ‘dependable’ way and most of the writing seem optimistic from the word go.

One of the drawbacks of this book is that it does lay emphasis on the effect of market cycles. For instance, the condition of the overall market would play a significant role in determining the patterns. Also I think the significance of the patterns differ from a case to case basis.

This book will be most useful to people who believe in:
• Short Term trading
• Directional trading
• Timing the market
• Algorithmic trading and coding strategies
• Technical stuff more than fundamentals

It is an enjoyable read. Specialized knowledge is not required to understand this one.

If you are relatively new to the financial markets, chances are that technical charts may seem overwhelming at first. This is a great book if you want to learn the logic of technical analysis. It is a written in a very interactive and smooth flowing manner. The content is broken down into 20 chapters most of them describing different types of patterns and interpretations. The further classification of these occurrences into reversals and continuation patterns really gives the readers a firm basis to learn. He discusses the psychology of the candlestick patterns which will help the readers to understand the subject ground up. The book is filled with charts and drawings making it all the more exciting. He has also dedicated a few chapters for the study of indicators like Moving averages, Fibonacci retracements, MACD, Oscillators, open interest etc. This can help you refine your skill set. The questions at the each chapter is a very useful learning tool. This field of knowledge is presented in a very ‘dependable’ way and most of the writing seem optimistic from the word go.

One of the drawbacks of this book is that it does lay emphasis on the effect of market cycles. For instance, the condition of the overall market would play a significant role in determining the patterns. Also I think the significance of the patterns differ from a case to case basis.

This book will be most useful to people who believe in:
• Short Term trading
• Directional trading
• Timing the market
• Algorithmic trading and coding strategies
• Technical stuff more than fundamentals

It is an enjoyable read. Specialized knowledge is not required to understand this one.

If you are relatively new to the financial markets, chances are that technical charts may seem overwhelming at first. This is a great book if you want to learn the logic of technical analysis. It is a written in a very interactive and smooth flowing manner. The content is broken down into 20 chapters most of them describing different types of patterns and interpretations. The further classification of these occurrences into reversals and continuation patterns really gives the readers a firm basis to learn. He discusses the psychology of the candlestick patterns which will help the readers to understand the subject ground up. The book is filled with charts and drawings making it all the more exciting. He has also dedicated a few chapters for the study of indicators like Moving averages, Fibonacci retracements, MACD, Oscillators, open interest etc. This can help you refine your skill set. The questions at the each chapter is a very useful learning tool. This field of knowledge is presented in a very ‘dependable’ way and most of the writing seem optimistic from the word go.

One of the drawbacks of this book is that it does lay emphasis on the effect of market cycles. For instance, the condition of the overall market would play a significant role in determining the patterns. Also I think the significance of the patterns differ from a case to case basis.

This book will be most useful to people who believe in:
• Short Term trading
• Directional trading
• Timing the market
• Algorithmic trading and coding strategies
• Technical stuff more than fundamentals

It is an enjoyable read. Specialized knowledge is not required to understand this one.

If you are relatively new to the financial markets, chances are that technical charts may seem overwhelming at first. This is a great book if you want to learn the logic of technical analysis. It is a written in a very interactive and smooth flowing manner. The content is broken down into 20 chapters most of them describing different types of patterns and interpretations. The further classification of these occurrences into reversals and continuation patterns really gives the readers a firm basis to learn. He discusses the psychology of the candlestick patterns which will help the readers to understand the subject ground up. The book is filled with charts and drawings making it all the more exciting. He has also dedicated a few chapters for the study of indicators like Moving averages, Fibonacci retracements, MACD, Oscillators, open interest etc. This can help you refine your skill set. The questions at the each chapter is a very useful learning tool. This field of knowledge is presented in a very ‘dependable’ way and most of the writing seem optimistic from the word go.

One of the drawbacks of this book is that it does lay emphasis on the effect of market cycles. For instance, the condition of the overall market would play a significant role in determining the patterns. Also I think the significance of the patterns differ from a case to case basis.

This book will be most useful to people who believe in:
• Short Term trading
• Directional trading
• Timing the market
• Algorithmic trading and coding strategies
• Technical stuff more than fundamentals

It is an enjoyable read. Specialized knowledge is not required to understand this one.

If you are relatively new to the financial markets, chances are that technical charts may seem overwhelming at first. This is a great book if you want to learn the logic of technical analysis. It is a written in a very interactive and smooth flowing manner. The content is broken down into 20 chapters most of them describing different types of patterns and interpretations. The further classification of these occurrences into reversals and continuation patterns really gives the readers a firm basis to learn. He discusses the psychology of the candlestick patterns which will help the readers to understand the subject ground up. The book is filled with charts and drawings making it all the more exciting. He has also dedicated a few chapters for the study of indicators like Moving averages, Fibonacci retracements, MACD, Oscillators, open interest etc. This can help you refine your skill set. The questions at the each chapter is a very useful learning tool. This field of knowledge is presented in a very ‘dependable’ way and most of the writing seem optimistic from the word go.

One of the drawbacks of this book is that it does lay emphasis on the effect of market cycles. For instance, the condition of the overall market would play a significant role in determining the patterns. Also I think the significance of the patterns differ from a case to case basis.

This book will be most useful to people who believe in:
• Short Term trading
• Directional trading
• Timing the market
• Algorithmic trading and coding strategies
• Technical stuff more than fundamentals

It is an enjoyable read. Specialized knowledge is not required to understand this one.

If you are relatively new to the financial markets, chances are that technical charts may seem overwhelming at first. This is a great book if you want to learn the logic of technical analysis. It is a written in a very interactive and smooth flowing manner. The content is broken down into 20 chapters most of them describing different types of patterns and interpretations. The further classification of these occurrences into reversals and continuation patterns really gives the readers a firm basis to learn. He discusses the psychology of the candlestick patterns which will help the readers to understand the subject ground up. The book is filled with charts and drawings making it all the more exciting. He has also dedicated a few chapters for the study of indicators like Moving averages, Fibonacci retracements, MACD, Oscillators, open interest etc. This can help you refine your skill set. The questions at the each chapter is a very useful learning tool. This field of knowledge is presented in a very ‘dependable’ way and most of the writing seem optimistic from the word go.

One of the drawbacks of this book is that it does lay emphasis on the effect of market cycles. For instance, the condition of the overall market would play a significant role in determining the patterns. Also I think the significance of the patterns differ from a case to case basis.

This book will be most useful to people who believe in:
• Short Term trading
• Directional trading
• Timing the market
• Algorithmic trading and coding strategies
• Technical stuff more than fundamentals

It is an enjoyable read. Specialized knowledge is not required to understand this one.

If you are relatively new to the financial markets, chances are that technical charts may seem overwhelming at first. This is a great book if you want to learn the logic of technical analysis. It is a written in a very interactive and smooth flowing manner. The content is broken down into 20 chapters most of them describing different types of patterns and interpretations. The further classification of these occurrences into reversals and continuation patterns really gives the readers a firm basis to learn. He discusses the psychology of the candlestick patterns which will help the readers to understand the subject ground up. The book is filled with charts and drawings making it all the more exciting. He has also dedicated a few chapters for the study of indicators like Moving averages, Fibonacci retracements, MACD, Oscillators, open interest etc. This can help you refine your skill set. The questions at the each chapter is a very useful learning tool. This field of knowledge is presented in a very ‘dependable’ way and most of the writing seem optimistic from the word go.

One of the drawbacks of this book is that it does lay emphasis on the effect of market cycles. For instance, the condition of the overall market would play a significant role in determining the patterns. Also I think the significance of the patterns differ from a case to case basis.

This book will be most useful to people who believe in:
• Short Term trading
• Directional trading
• Timing the market
• Algorithmic trading and coding strategies
• Technical stuff more than fundamentals

It is an enjoyable read. Specialized knowledge is not required to understand this one.

Great book for after you've mastered the very basics. Its true that you can get most of this information with simple google searches and a lot of clicking online but to have it all in one book by the "originator" of candle stick charting along with sections covering use combined with other technical indicators is IMO great to have. I've gotten this information online before and still enjoyed the book. If you read it good, you will understand it. I found the font and layout to be fine. I found the chart explanations easy enough to follow. I looked carefully for big obvious errors in the text and charts and couldn't find more than maybe 1 spelling error in the whole book.

I would definitely purchase Nisons book that follows this one but right now I am now considering purchasing a chart pattern book (wedges, pennants, double tops...) so maybe I will get one by Bulkowski.

Reading charts is really just an advanced form of poll taking. A chart is almost a visual snapshot of crowd psychology (greed and fear) graphically represented.

This book explains how candlesticks take reading crowd psychology to the next level. Not only does Nison teach recognition of the important patterns, he explains the psychological motivation behind those patterns... the emotions and sentiments unfolding as those patterns are created.

It has been my experience that candlesticks are most effective at giving advance warning of a reversing or flatlining trend--thus I apply the patterns more to my exits than my entries. But I take information from candlesticks on a regular basis regardless.

Just as an example, if you look at a bar chart, you can't really tell which of those bars were up closes and which were down closes unless you look extremely closely. With candlesticks you get this info at a glance, adding to an intuitive feel for price movement that can enhance profitability. You also get more specific and accurate signals, with minimal distraction in terms of information bloat. There's just no comparison.

I wouldn't trade without candlestick charts any more readily than I would without streaming quotes. They simply provide another dimension to market action that bar charts miss. Nison's book offers entry and grounding into this world.

This is an amazing book in terms of an introduction to candlestick charting. It thoroughly explains everything you need to know and discusses it using examples and graphs. May get a bit annoying having to flip back and forth to read and look at the graphs on a different page, but you can't really get around this in any book. Also, it's Steve Nison, the person who introduced candlesticks from the Asian culture. It's essentially what every other candlestick book was written from. The book is in big font and it's actually a huge book (in terms of literal size, not the amount of pages) so it's annoying to lug around if you are looking to take it with you and read when you got time. Also, it requires a lot of concentration as you may have to re-read some of the sections to really understand it but it's expected of a topic like this. Great book overall and I strongly recommend it to any beginner traders.

I have a few books on candlesticks. I bought others which were cheaper, even though many reviews pointed towards Nisons' work. Note that in Australia, we are talking about $35 (other books) compared to $150 (Nison's book) ... so anyway, after buying many others, and looking all over the 'net for info. on Candlesticks, I ran into Nisons' book in a shop, looked through it and had to have it.
It has a LOT LOT LOT more depth than the others. There is more to candlesticks (or any price movement analysis) than just a bunch of patterns, names, formations ... the other books are far far too brief. I cannot emphasise this enough.
Look at all the other reviews for this book, many many good words said.
It is very readable, very clear, the examples are excellent, but most valuable are the insights for all the patterns ... that other books simply do not have.
Sure, it costs a bit more than the other candlestick books, but hey, how much money are you trading? Does an extra 30 or 50 bucks make that much difference for the extra insight you will gain?
This is not just the best ~Candlestick~ book, but it is a very very good TA book as well. Candlesticks are, after all, just a way of plotting price movements.
Note that, in searching the web for info. on TA and investing, this book came up time and time again as ~highly~ recommended. Now I pass that recommendation on.
Note also Nison has another book, "Beyond Candlesticks", and while I think that this is also a good book, get this one first and learn it all, the second book concentrates more on a few "Advanced" techniques, I don't know if they are so much advanced as they are just a few more techniques + brushing over what is in the first book. Get this first book, because it has more depth on the essentials that you need to know. Get the other book later, don't try and save money by jumping to the second one in the hope it will make the first obsolete, don't try and save money by getting a cheaper candlestick book, don't brush this stuff off thinking you've learnt all the candlestick stuff just by seeing a couple of patterns and names.
I also highly recommend Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets, this is recently updated and so incredibly good.
Beginner trader: will help you a lot, a very good investment, but also look to the book recommended above.
Intermediate: what are you doing? making a profit? get the book. Not making a profit? get the book, or get out of trading.
Advanced: why don't you have it? it should be on everyone's bookshelf, have you no pride? can't you afford it?
This is one of those trading books you cannot afford not to have. I don't give that rating to many other trading books.
Good luck!
Oh, and it is enjoyable to read.

Nison's book contains the best in-depth explanation of candlestick patterns. It may not be as useful as a reference as the other two books (Morris and Bigalow), but in order to use those books more effectively, you have to at least read, if not own Nison's book. The way he explains the patterns reveal more about the original philosophy in which candlestick patterns were developed. It is not only a system in which you look for definite buy or sell signals. It is also meant to help investors or traders get a feel for prices.

Bigalow's books (both of them) contain some useful strategies, but I would consider it more of his interpretation of how to effectively use candlestick patterns. They may or may not work. If you don't understand the flexibility that candlestick patterns have, then it's likely that you will misuse the strategies discussed.

Morris's books have a statistical bent which I believe is not helpful. Not all candlestick signals can be taken as strict buy or sell signals. They are very subjective, hence his method of showing the average profit or loss based on the number of days after a signal is not very helpful to the reader. Morris does do a good job of categorizing the patterns and gives a good overview of the context in which they can be used. However, one should take the time to read Nison's book first.

Overall, I reiterate, read Nison's book first, note the important points and then you can use the other two books for reference.

Definitely a must-have for all serious charting libraries, and all technical traders. This book, written by the very man who introduced candlestick charting to the West (Steve Nison), is the quintessential authority work on the method.

My copy (which I somehow interestingly managed to get actual candle wax on, on the cover, from a tea candle, lol!) quickly became one of the jewels in my trading library, because of it's comprehensive, and yet, easy to comprehend format.

With extensive illustrations (in black & white) of all the candle patterns, formations, and candle types (on real past charts) that exist, you are bound to emerge from this book more of a charting pro than you were going in.

The Glossary and Index are great for quick reference, and the patient (step-by-step/concept-by-concept) structure of the book make this an even easier read than it would be just by it's uncomplicated wording.

Needless to say, I greatly recommend this book for all levels. And I believe it will become a very valuable reference tool in any serious traders' toolbox. You will be proud that you are the owner of this book, as I treasure mine, to this very day.

Khalfani Rushiddin
[...]

All the candlestick patterns you need are here: file:///C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/stevedisciple/My%20Documents/Downloads/CandlestickPatternDictionary.pdf
The book expounds on candlestick patterns in the link above. It makes what you already knew more entertaining. You can test it for yourself to verify my opinion. I have read many investments books, but I only one or two are useful. The candlestick is one of the least useful indicators. It is worthless for intraday trading. The patterns show up all day long, but the market ignores them and does as it wishes. I was raised in the orient. I should have trusted my hunch that anything from the orient is worthless when it becomes public. As always, the raving reviews are written by paid professionals. They are paid to buy the books from the store, so that they can write the reviews.

Steven Nison is selling us what he does not believe himself. He is not a poor writer, but he is not as great a writer as described in the raving reviews.

Started reading this and then realized that candlesticks are arbitrary. A pattern in one time frame is not necessarily a pattern in another. And boxing the open and close is misleading. It suggests something special in this trading range but in fact all of the action could have been in a whisker. And again, the open and close are dependent on the time frame selected. I went back to observing OHLC. I will eventually finish the book because I am certain it contains some key concepts and because everyone else seems to be using the technique. At least it is the basic chart you see displayed everywhere. I wonder if anyone has really thought about what it does or maybe I am wrong. I am relatively new to technical analysis but it feels like all of these technical tools are sorely lacking credibility. The book is a nice read so no complaints there.

This book does not only discuss various candlestick patterns from basic to advanced, but also points when each pattern is strong or weak giving the trader clues on which patterns are actionable and which are not. In addition, the author compares candlestick charting to bar charts showing the differences between them, and also combines candlestick charing with classical indicators such as moving averages, relative strength, stochastics and others to impress on the reader that candlestick charts can be used to enhance classical indicators.
I am an experienced trader and can comfortably say that using candlestick charts alone to trade is quite challenging especially due to the subtle differences between a tradeable and nontradeable pattern. After trying difefrent ways to incorporate candlestick signals in my trading I found that using Heikin-Ashi candlesticks gives much better results since this type of candlestick smooths price action eliminating noise and false signals. Although my trading methodology still is highly dependent on price action and technical indicators, I look at the Heikin- Ashi candlestick chart for the handful of high potential trade candidate to obtain confirmation .
In summary, a comprehensive book on candlestick patterns, but requires significant experience in candlestick charting to be successful using this as the sole trading method. On the other hand , a moderately experienced trader may wish to add candlestick pattern signals as additional confirmation in their trading, as I did.