I have been investing for a few years and wanted to start trading options. After much looking I settled on "Getting Started in Options" and I don't regret it one bit. The book is very well organized and there are tons of examples. For example during the chapter on puts Thomsett puts in examples of all of the strategies he explains. And he does this in every chapter to help illustrate the point he is trying to make. He explains how you will make money with each method and how you will lose money. He even talks about researching companies in which to invest. I think this could have been left out since you should be familiar with stock investing before you start with options but this is really just a gloss over and you will need to read other books for any decent level of detail. In the later chapters he discusses numerous different spreads and how they play out.

If I was to complain about the book it would be the numerous spelling and occasional math errors. But if you are following along you will be able to spot them and figure out what the correct calculation/word is supposed to be. While I would usually deduct a star for this type of oversight it really isn't significant enough considering the wealth of knowledge contained in the book.

If you read some of the negative reviews they state specific problems people found with this book. Those reviews were of previous editions. With this latest edition (seventh edition) most of the complaints previous reviewers have stated have been addressed and the book is very good.

Bottom line: If you have limited or no knowledge of options this is a great start. After reading this you will have an excellent understanding of options and be ready for books covering advanced topics. The author has addressed the shortcomings of previous editions and has made a book that should be on the shelf of every options investor.