About TradingBookReviews.com

TradingBookReviews.com was started in 2021 by traders who were tired of "best trading books" lists that ranked by Amazon affiliate commission rather than actual quality. Every review is written by someone who has read the entire book — not skimmed the introduction and rewritten the Amazon description.

We don't use affiliate links. When we link to a book purchase page, we use direct links with no tracking or commission. Our revenue comes from reader donations. This means our ratings are based entirely on the quality and usefulness of the content.

Our Rating Methodology

Every book is rated on four criteria:

Content Quality (40%) — Is the material original, specific, and actionable? Does the author bring genuine expertise, or are they repackaging common knowledge? We reward originality and penalise filler.

Practical Applicability (25%) — Can you actually use this tomorrow? A book that describes elegant theory but offers no implementation guidance scores lower than one that gives you a framework you can apply immediately.

Value for Money (20%) — Price relative to content depth. A free book that delivers more actionable content than a $50 book will outscore it. We factor price into value, not use it as an excuse for lower quality.

Writing Quality (15%) — Is it readable and well-structured? Trading books compete for your attention against everything else in your life. If a book is a slog to read, that matters — even if the content is good.

Why Some Books Get Low Ratings

A site that gives everything 4–5 stars is worthless. Some trading books are bad — overpriced, unoriginal, poorly written, or actively misleading. We say so, and we explain specifically why. Our negative reviews are often our most popular pages, because traders are tired of being sold garbage dressed up as education.

Free Books Are Rated Equally

Free books and resources are rated on the same criteria as paid books. A free 240-page methodology manual that outperforms most paid alternatives will be rated accordingly. We don't grade on a curve based on price — we grade on usefulness to traders.