However, as always with such books there comes a caveat. Mr. Zweig's commentary through the book is not of the continuously high standard with which Graham writes. It disrupts the flow of the book and detracts from the overall experience of reading Graham's fine work. My suggestion is to ignore Zweig's commentary and footnotes until you find there is something that you don't understand or want further thoughts on. Zweig provides a few cutting insights, but only a few.
Dispite this the books value is not diminished - it's well worth your time and your money.
This latest updated 623-page paperback (the index alone is 33 pages) version updated by Jason Zweig is a welcome addition to this classic. The original chapters are intact, but with footnoted comments by Zweig. Moreover, he provides his own commentary on each chapter contents in a separate chapter following each original chapter. He provides extensive research, charts, tables and commentary that updates the book to the present years. He is not afraid to take on the big guns of Wall Street and show how wrong they were in some of their extremely bullish predictions during January-March 2000, when the market was at its peak.
The first nine chapters cover investing basics that all investors could benefit from. There are many truisms spouted on Wall Street that are not really true. These chapters provide the investor with a realistic picture of how Wall Street works and what investors need to do to come out ahead.
Chapters 10-20 focus strictly on fundamental analysis, stock selection, convertible issues and warrants, and other subjects. Investors who plan to invest directly in stocks should make sure to read these chapters. However, for readers more interested in investing in mutual funds, and in particular index funds, they need not concern themselves with all the detail in these chapters unless they have the time or interest in the subject matter presented.
In conclusion, the combination of pioneer Ben Graham's original work coupled with Zweig's meticulous and enjoyable update, make this a remarkable book about investments and investor behavior that every new and experienced investor should read. Of the 500 investing books that I've read, this one certainly is one of the greats of all time.