It's a small book with no depth. Might be relevant for people who are clueless about stocks but definitely not for people with general idea about stocks.

Very nice book for everyone who is interested in the financial markets. Highly recommended. Rich and detailed content.

i was expecting the full book, not the miniature edition. note: this is an abridged, pocket size version of the book.

I got the book about a week ago and have read the first couple chapters. I'm new to the stock market and investing world, and this book has already educated me about several key topics in the investing world. I also bought "The Intelligent Investor" by Graham about the same time i bought this book. I have been reading them in parallel and finding the Lynch book a better read so far. His style is easy to read, humorous, and obviously educational in financial aspects. I won't be able to go into details about the book since I'm a noobie in the market, but i highly recommend "One Up" to anyone out there looking for a "beginner's" and fundamental guidebook to the market.

Looks more like a poem book for middle school. doesn't have any meat in it. Just bullet points.

Very practical and complete, full of common sense and very valuable advice on how to structure a good porfolio, what things to look for, what to avoid. What I liked the most are several very helpful tools on stock selecting. It fine tunes fundamental ideas on investing, explains how there is no substitute for thinking to do well in stocks and what an investor should expect. Thanks, Mr. Lynch, you wrote a great book, no wonder you sold over 1 million copies!

I find this book extremely valuable. The examples are out of date but the ideas are not. Most finance textbooks say that either markets are efficient and you can't find undervalued stocks, or to just use discounted cash flows to estimate the value of a firm. Well, these reasons are inadequate because they don't investors any practical information, probably causing mistakes. Peter Lynch gives practical guidelines for selecting a company. If you follow his guidelines you'll make fewer mistakes. I especially like his section on famous numbers. Finely an explanation for why the numbers are important. Most books just say things like, this is the debt ratio and you can compare it to the historical past, or to the industry. Peter Lynch provides a context for interpreting financial ratios. The other sections of the book are just as good. I find the most valuable information in the book from about chapter 7 to 13.

I believed I was ordering a small book of One Up on Wall Street but it is not the same book ...only same name and cover. Only contains key phrases...got burned and because it was only a few dollars with shipping didn't want to waste any time and more$ to send back...Don'ty be fooled!

The main idea of "One up on Wall Street" is to beat the market by choosing a small portfolio of stocks of 3-10 companies that grow at a higher rate than the market average. The book doesn't cover mutual funds, index funds and exchange-traded funds, because the author claims that "if you don't think you can beat the market, then buy a mutual fund and save yourself a lot of extra work and money".

The book encourages you to become an aggressive investor, who has a good understanding of financial markets; is comfortable with taking risks with their investments; is not concerned about short-term volatility (fluctuation in returns); and invests for the longer-term. This encouragement is done in a very friendly tone, it is easy to understand, and quite well explained (in the unabridged edition of this book).

This miniature version of the book is a little bit "half-baked": the abridgements are not done properly. For example, pages 64-65 tell "in this section I add my two cents ...[about]... the pitfalls of gambling on options, futures", but there is nothing on options futures in the rest of this section - this information was "abridged".

I would recommend the unabridged audio version in addition to this hardcover miniature edition.

Some writers you just can't afford not to read- and Peter Lynch is one of them. How can you go wrong with a guy who refers to technical analysis as "that science of wiggles"? How bad can learning about P/E ratios be when your guide writes lines, such as "The 1960s was the greatest decade for diworseification since the Roman Empire diworseified all over Europe and northern Africa" (147), or "When `The Limited' had positioned itself in 670 of the 700 most popular malls in the country, then `The Limited' finally was" (224)? If that doesn't elicit a chuckle, then you've picked-up the wrong book.

Of course, as entertaining as Peter Lynch may be, his primary purpose is to teach you how to beat the Street. He lays down the gauntlet, challenging us to net 12-15% in average annual returns, or don't even bother. But lest you feel daunted by the challenge, consider Lynch's own background, "As I look back on it now, it's obvious that studying history and philosophy was much better preparation for the stock market than, say studying statistics" (32). So, take heart, and let's begin!

Lynch took over the Fidelity Magellan fund from "Ned" Johnson in May 1977. At the time the fund owned only 40 stocks with a total portfolio value of $20 million. For the next 13-years he managed the fund, Lynch increased the number of stock holdings to 1400 with total assets of $9 billion. Most amazingly, during this period the Magellan fund averaged a 29% annual return- while never having a down-year! So, how did he do it?

As a fundamental analyst, Peter Lynch believes that while markets may not be completely "efficient" they sure aren't "random." In fact, by combining localized research (i.e. whose efficacy is due to an increasing trend in cultural homogenization), with analyzing financial statements, anyone can build a successful track record by choosing the right stocks just 60% of the time! Lynch approaches stock investing the same way that the MIT Blackjack Team approached Las Vegas: "To me, an investment is simply a gamble in which you've managed to tilt the odds in your favor...In fact, the stock market most reminds me of a stud poker game" (60). More specifically, Lynch employed a bottom-up strategy.

To begin with, use your "local knowledge" to identify two to three businesses per/year as potential investment targets. Next, start researching those companies by looking up their financial statements. Look at the earnings growth trends. After all, earnings and stock price tend to move in tandem. Based on these growth rates categorize them into: (1) slow growers: 2-4% annual earnings growth; (2) stalwarts: 10-12% annual earnings growth; (3) fast growers: 20-25% annual earnings growth; (4) cyclicals; (5) turnarounds, and; (6) asset plays. Categorizing the businesses helps set profit expectations, as well as provide guidance on when to buy, hold, or sell.

Related to earnings, only invest in those companies whose P/E is equal to or less than the earnings growth rate. To be even more exacting, combine earnings w/ dividends:

{[Long-term growth rate + Dividend yield] / P/E ratio}

We want to look at earnings not only on an absolute basis, but also relative to its industry peers. Once we've done this, next we want to evaluate how these earnings are being utilized, such as buying back shares, raising the dividend, developing new products, starting new operations, and/or making acquisitions. Sometimes earnings are retained within the company as "current assets" on the balance sheet. Lynch recommends adding together the cash and marketable securities portion of the current assets, subtract from it "long-term debt," and then divide that number by the number of shares outstanding to figure out the cash per/share:

{[Cash + Marketable securities] / # of shares}

So far, we have managed to identify a prospect, look at its financial statements, as well as those of its peers, and track down how those earnings are ultimately spent. Now that we've taken a snap-shot of the business, we can draw conclusions regarding how bright, or bleak, its future may be.

So, what can a company do to increase its future earnings? Lynch writes, "There are five basic ways a company can increase earnings: reduce costs; raise prices; expand into new markets; sell more of its product in the old markets; or revitalize, close, or otherwise dispose of a losing operation" (169). Whichever avenue the business chooses, it may be somewhat constrained according to whether or not it is in the start-up, rapid expansion, or maturity phase.

Corporate financing plays an important role as well. Lynch prefers debt-to-equity ratios heavily skewed toward equity, because too much debt can drown a company. Most importantly, buy stocks that Wall Street hasn't yet found; ones that have little analyst coverage, and little institutional ownership. Yet, even still, it takes Peter Lynch anywhere from 2-10 years before Wall Street catches-up and he earns that "ten-bagger." Not only should you learn to be patient, but you should also recheck the story every three months- look for changes in insider ownership. Finally, beware of "end-of-the-year" tax selling that takes place between October and December. Most importantly, have confidence that "...in the end, superior companies will succeed and mediocre companies will fail, and investors in each will be rewarded accordingly" (12).

The ultimate book on introduction to investing. If you have one book on investing, this should be it.

This book is an excellent starting point for new individual investors, It gave me the basic fundation in investing principles, Great!

This was the book that catapuled individual investing. He teaches you how to beat the market just by keeping your eyes and ears open.

Unfortunately, most investors don't follow his rules.

A reread for those who have questions about their returns.

This book is the Bible for investing!

(This is a review of the full-sized edition, not the ill-advised miniature that has garnered so much negative comment.)

Why listen to Peter Lynch? He's one of the greatest stock market investors of all time. From 1977 to 1990, Lynch managed the Magellan mutual fund for Fidelity Investments. The fund's assets increased more than 2,700%.

Is that a lot? It's like Barry Bonds hitting 200 home runs in a season. It's a staggering achievement, unlikely to ever be duplicated.

There is a small industry of financial advice out there from people with no documented success. Lucky for us, Lynch decided to share his methods.

One Up on Wall Street puts stock picking skill into the minds of everyday people. The book is written in a breezy, accessible style that non-financial types will appreciate. Lynch also gives a glimpse at his life at Fidelity during his tenure running Magellan.

Stock picking is an art. Lynch delves into the intuitive side of investing. It's not all about financial statements and balance sheets, although he gives you a quick rundown of those too (Chapter 13: Some Famous Numbers). The book has more ideas per page than any of the several stock market books that I have read.

Information overload can paralyze the mind of a stockpicker. If you're not a data type of person, stock research can make your head explode. Lynch spells out a way to find good investments without suffering brain damage.

To use a food analogy, he doesn't give you a recipe, he teaches you how to cook.

I've been looking for more information on how to invest into this stock market. This book was EXACTLY what I was looking for. Not only did it help me figure out what kinds of companies to keep my eye out for, it also gave me ways and formulas to check out to verify if the stock was a good buy or not. I highly recommend this book!

This is a MINIATURE book. Literally. 3 inces x 3 inches, "95 pages" with 30 or 40 big words on each page. Ridiculous. I can't believe such a thing was manufactured.

Excellent primer for how to consider investments from a qualitative perspective, rather than the number crunching quantitive perspective put forth by so many other writers. Peter Lynch demonstrates how amateur investors can have an edge on Wall Street professionals through our day-to-day interactions with businesses.

Peter Lynch tells about the strategies and types of companies he enjoys purchasing that allow him to beat the market. The book is an easy read but the information in the book is necessary for any investor to continue his education in stock investments.

the description was misleading, it's not a book, it's an excerpt in tiny, tiny pages. Very disappointed.

Lynch does a great job introducing the world of stock investing. He writes in a very easy-to-read manner using lots of examples, and he always uses an encouraging and comforting tone, reassuring the reader that the reader as an amateur also has a spot in the investing world.

The book is split into 3 basic sections - preparing to invest, picking winners, and the long-term view. The first part goes over why you should invest, why amateurs can have an edge over professionals, and some other basic concepts. The second portion covers how to actually find good companies and how to analyze them to make sure they're worth investing into. The last section wraps things up by talking about basic stock portfolio management and the importance of a long-term mindset.

The book uses a lot of historical examples. Sometimes it feels like Lynch is showing off his experience and success, but the man has a fantastic Wall Street record - definitely something to brag about. He is also unafraid to talk about his mistakes, which is admirable and enlightening.

While some of the specifics Lynch discusses (what's a "good" P/E of certain companies compared to the growth rate, for example) may be somewhat out of date, the general concepts in this book hold very true today. I recommend this book highly to anyone looking to invest in stocks - there are some great lessons to take away. The two that really stuck in my mind are:

1. Amateur investors are not at a loss compared to professionals. In fact, amateurs are not constrained by many things that professionals may be bound to, such as fund restrictions, job security, etc. Amateurs can also spot potential future winners way before Wall Street can.

2. Take your time to do the homework on a company before you buy its stock AND before you sell it. Make sure you can give a good 2-minute summary of why you want to buy a certain stock. Keep in mind - if there's any doubt, check in later. For example, you never want to buy a fast grower before it proves it can expand.

Note that this book is only about stocks and how to find the "right" stocks. It covers bonds briefly (to convince the reader that stocks are a much better long-term investment), and it also has a very short chapter on futures, options, and shorting stock. However, Lynch quickly dismisses these three as overly risky speculative investment vehicles that don't contribute to the business world (i.e. money in the futures/options markets is not used by companies to expand operations - it just changes hands depending on who won the "bet"). Don't expect to learn much about these types of investment, as Lynch clearly dislikes them.

In conclusion, if you are thinking about stock market investing or even if you already own stock, read this book. It's a quick and easy read, and you will, without doubt, get something useful out of it.

Pros:
+ easy and relatively quick read
+ encourages the amateur investor to not be intimidated by professionals
+ Lynch presents his time-proven strategies in a very coherent manner, with lots of examples of things he did right AND things he did wrong
+ lots of useful advice that still holds true today

Cons:
- quick dismissal of stock shorting, options, and futures

I always recommend this book whenever someone ask me how to start investing in the stock market. Peter Lynch is obviously a very smart man but what impressed me the most was his writing style and sense of humor. This book was easy to read while being knowledgable at the same time.

Best book I have ever read about the market.

Great starting point if someone wants to buy stocks...the problem is that...he is " Peter Lynch " no way you will ever have the kind of results he got, see, you, I and HIM can look at the very same thing, but HE got the skills to analyze it and make the best judgment, we do not.

My point is that without fooling yourself and thinking you can make a fortune in the market you can still do better than most if you understand and apply his investment strategy

- g

This book is tiny and gets you on the course of investing but in terms of material its pretty bad. It's like a summary of the real book. Be careful before you buy it if you're looking for the non-miniature edition.

This is not a book. It is a tiny hard-cover pamphlet that Peter Lynch ought to be ashamed having having his name associated with.

DO NOT BUY...even at $0.01 it is still a waste (because of the shipping cost - you are charged $3 and change to ship it, it costs the seller 73 cents and an envelope to send it first class).

Back away, just back away.

Book arrived in a timely manner and happy with product. Although book does not seem brand new, at the price and for my personal use it is more than enough.

I did not realize that this was the miniature edition when I bought this book. I want to return it for a refund.

Great book if you are starting in equities.

- Explains how to create a portfoliio

- How to stay from the hottest stocks

- When to judge there is a boom market versus a slowdown

Author has used simple and interesting style to explain the stock market.

The way to succeed in anything is to find good advice and then take it. But first, you have to find an advisor you can trust. In stock market investing, that advisor is Peter Lynch.

Don't buy stock until you read this book. It's an easy, straightforward, and even entertaining read, and it will be the best investment you make.

Lynch's method is more approachable than other aggressive methods since there is less 'data' that you need to have or scram through, and also it is not about timing the market. However, I think some of the information he used to justify his point in his book is still quite out of reach for 'everyday' investors (minus one star). But if you pay for the right tools his method might be worth trying, esp when you don't have enough time to play short-term market timing. As for 'how to use what you already know', it is more easily said than done.

I read three different investment books lately, one is very aggressive and about the 'momentum' style of investment. The other is about the more passive index funds approach. This one from Lynch fit in the middle. All three provide you with ideas and perspective, and you will have to choose which one suits your personal taste. If you feel the need to research another style of investment, you definitely need to read this one.

I thought this book was fabulous. It was funny, informative and written in a style that made it hard to put the book down. I highly recommend it, especially to anyone new to investing.

Investing in the stock market before reading this book is like operating a chain saw before reading the user manual. There is a chance you might get the results you are looking for, but you are more likely to chop off an arm.

With humility, Mr. Lynch gives us the benefit of his years of stock market investing, and teaches us that, while it is possible to beat the market, it is not for the faint of heart. It is also not for those whose time frame is short (less than 5-10 years) or for those who absolutely cannot afford to lose their money.

With these words of caution, we are provided with some of the things to look for when investing in individual companies including advice such as:

* it is pretty much impossible to time the market
* ignore pundits and other "experts"
* think for yourself and focus on quality businesses at reasonable prices
* learn to ignore your inner voice that screams "sell!" at the slightest bit of bad news
* The stock market will go absolutely nuts at some point in your investing career. KEEP YOUR HEAD. And your stocks.

If nothing else, this book made me realize not to set my expectations too high -- on almost every page was a mention of one stock or other that had not worked out the way Mr. Lynch had hoped. If this happens to a professional, then we all should be prepared for some disappointments on the long road to making our own millions. It is the ability to weather these disappointments and press on that is the key.

Overall - this is a great book and is one of the few books that I have enjoyed reading more than once.

I enjoyed reading and learned a lot from this book. Peter Lynch discusses how he was so successful in managing his Magellan Fund and how the individual investor can do even better. Here are some key learning from this book:
1. Stay completely invested in stocks at all times. Stocks that have good fundamentals. Ride the downs of the market. (I disagree with this at certain times, like after the Internet bust and 9/11 I preferred to be in cash for months after these events and it saved me Thousands)
2. Consumers that stumble onto excellent businesses have an advantage over financial managers. However you must examine the companies financials and successful growth prospects before investing.
3. Holding great stocks for 3-4 years lead to the best returns.
4. Mr. Lynch agrees with Warren Buffet that options and futures should be outlawed. He believes in sticking with stocks due to the fact that 80=95% of option investors lose money.
5. Do the home work on the businesses underlying the stocks you own to determine whether they are still a great company. Beware of high p/E ratios they should equal annual growth prospects.
6. Do not invest in stocks with money you can not afford to lose.
7. Stick with dull companies you understand with great growth potential.
8. Pay attention for investment opportunities in your day to day life.

He also discussed different types of companies: stalwarts(Blue Chip), fast growers, slow growers, cyclicals, asset plays and turnarounds. It is vital you understand what kind of company you are investing in and the nature of stock moves for its kind.

I can not begin to do justice to this book with this short review, buy it to add another dimension to your stock trading.

(Ignore the bad reviewers of this book, they are not qualified to judge Peter Lynch, the man's record as a mutual fund manager speaks for itself and so does his book).

This book is a joke. For a beginner looking for a comprehensive guide for investing, don't buy this book, unless you want a lesson in being ripped off. This book is the size of a coaster, the kind you find next to the checkout at the pharmacy about how to get various stains out of your argyle socks. It's made up to look cute; a two inch hardcover tomb, complete with dustjacket. Misspellings and grammatical errors abound in this nugget. Aspects of investing are listed, but not explained to any extent that might help someone actually pick stocks. "A Fool And His Money Are Soon Parted," by Peter Lynch. Buy another one of his books (a "big kid" book), but not this one.

If your looking to really get into investing this book gives you the insight on how to really spend time and analyze the stocks and companies and how to look for these opportunities. I highly reccomend that this book is for the beginner to moderate trader. This book is good at giving you some direction, but just like the author if you don't really follow and analyze these companies with sound values and judgments your going to loose your butt. I also reccomend that people listen or read some Jim cramer material.

This is a tiny little book, which I didn't realize when I ordered it. It's a heavily abridged version fit into a size that's about half the size of a pack of cigarettes. You have to turn the page a couple times to finish reading a sentence.

It'd make a cute gift for a recent financial-science grad to put on his desk at his first job, but I was looking for a book to read. Luckily I ordered "Beating the Street" at the same time and that was what I was looking for: a book by Peter Lynch on investing.