Trading feels glamorous on social media. Real trading feels different.
Screens go red.
Confidence shakes.
Emotions jump faster than prices.
That is where books save traders. Not flashy reels. Not random tips. Real pages written by people who survived the market. The best books on trading do not promise shortcuts. They build thinking habits. They train patience. They show mistakes without filters.
This guide mixes wisdom, humor, and hard truths. If markets ever made you doubt yourself, you are not alone. You just need better reading fuel and a calmer mindset.
Why Indian Traders Still Trust Books?
Many traders start with videos. Most survive because of reading. Best books on trading slow the mind and sharpen judgment. Indian authors write with a local context. They speak about Indian markets, Indian emotions, and Indian risks. That makes these books practical and relatable.
Before we list them, remember this: Markets reward preparation. Books build preparation quietly.
List of 15 Best books on trading by Indian Authors
Below is a carefully curated list of the best books on trading written by Indian market experts. Each book builds a specific skill that traders actually need.
1. Stocks to Riches
Author: Parag Parikh | Publication: Tata McGraw-Hill (2005) | Sold: Over 100,000 copies .
Parag Parikh shakes up common mistakes investors make. Many Indians follow hot tips from TV gurus or friends. They pile into stocks everyone talks about. Parikh shows why this hurts. He explains herd mentality in plain terms. People buy high and sell low out of fear or greed. You gain real edges when you use psychology to stay calm. Parikh shares stories from NSE trades. These real cases hit home. One chapter breaks down how emotions wreck portfolios.
He teaches you to spot biases like overconfidence. Buy only quality companies with strong earnings. Hold them through ups and downs. Ignore short-term noise. Parikh backs tips with data from Indian markets. Readers report fewer panic sells after this book. Best books on trading from India start strong here.
2. Coffee Can Investing
Author: Saurabh Mukherjea, Rakshit Ranjan, Pranab Uniyal | Publication: Penguin (2017) | Sold: Over 200,000 copies .
Authors urge you to pick the top 15-20 firms in India. Look for leaders in their fields. Ignore daily market chatter. Tuck these stocks away like coffee in a can. Hold for a full ten years. Indian winners like Asian Paints shine bright. They build wide moats around their business. Competitors can’t catch up. Data proves these picks triple your money often. Mukherjea lists exact filters. Check sales growth over five years. Debt stays low. Profits rise steadily. The book shows portfolios that beat Nifty by double. Best books on trading teach this simple power. No need to trade often. Churn kills returns through fees and taxes. Real charts track 20-year results. Patience turns average folks into millionaires.
3. How to Avoid Loss and Earn Consistently?
Author: Prasenjit Paul | Publication: Vision Books (2015) | Sold: Over 50,000 copies .
Prasenjit Paul teaches you to pick safe stocks first. Strong balance sheets top the list. Companies sit on cash piles. Debt loads stay tiny. Time your buys during market dips. Paul shares checklists for quick scans. Cut junk stocks fast if earnings drop. Sell at first red flags. Indian examples fill every page. He breaks down the HDFC Bank buy step by step. You see exact entry points. Avoid penny stocks with wild swings. Focus on steady growers. Paul stresses position sizing, too. Never bet the farm on one trade. Readers avoid 80% of losses this way. Simple tables rank stocks by safety. Consistent small wins stack up big. Best books on trading save your capital every time.
4. The Dhandho Investor
Author: Mohnish Pabrai | Publication: Wiley (2007) | Sold: Over 100,000 in India .
Mohnish Pabrai bets on low-risk chances. High rewards follow smart picks. He copies Patel motel owners in the US. They buy rundown places cheaply. Hard work turns them profitable. Pabrai applies the Buffett style to NSE stocks. Buy firms at half their true worth. Indian roots shape his tips. He shares stories of the Gujarat immigrant success. Low downside protects you. Upside explodes if things click. Pabrai lists six rules for bets. Know your circle of competence. Wait for fat pitches. One chapter dissects a steel stock turnaround. Numbers show 10x returns. No complex math needed. Just heads or tails odds. Indian traders copy his methods daily.
5. Diamonds in the Dust
Author: Saurabh Mukherjea | Publication: Penguin (2021) | Sold: Tens of thousands .
Saurabh Mukherjea hunts hidden gems in plain sight. Small-cap stocks explode when found right. Filter for clean earnings growth. No accounting tricks allowed. Indian midcaps lead the charge. Think Page Industries or Deepak Nitrite. Portfolios in the book beat Nifty hands down. Mukherjea screens thousands yearly. He picks 30 stars. Each gets a full profile. Revenue jumps 20% plus yearly. Margins expand. Management stays honest. Data tables track ten-year runs. Some picks return 50x. Avoid hype stocks with no profits. Focus on boring businesses with moats. Indian examples make it real. Your portfolio sparkles after. Best books on trading unearth true value fast.
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6. Candlesticks and Charts Trading Mastery
Author: Kritesh Abhishek | Publication: Self-published (2023) | Sold: Growing fast.
Kritesh Abhishek breaks down candlestick charts step by step. You see, doji patterns signal doubt in the market. Hammer candles scream bounces from lows. He draws engulfing setups that flip trends fast. Charts turn raw data into clear signals. Live NSE examples show Nifty trades hit targets. Practice his scans on Reliance or HDFC Bank. Spot reversals before crowds rush in. Build entries with volume spikes. Exit rules keep gains safe. Indian traders master visuals over guesswork. Best books on trading make charts your edge.
7. The Joys of Compounding
Author: Gautam Baid | Publication: Columbia Press (2020) | Sold: Over 50,000.
Gautam Baid champions patience over quick flips. Compound interest doubles money every seven years at 10%. He picks Infosys or Asian Paints for steady growth. Hold through dips. Ignore headlines. Baid reviews Buffett and Munger’s wisdom. Indian families apply it to SIPs. Track ten-baggers from 2010. Mindset craves slow wealth. Read annual reports weekly. Avoid trading fees that eat returns. Track portfolios yearly. Freedom follows decades of calm. Best books on trading build lasting riches.
8. Bulls, Bears, and Other Beasts
Author: Santosh Nair | Publication: Pan Macmillan India (2017) | Sold: Over 50,000 copies.
Santosh Nair turns markets into thriller tales. Fictional trader Lalchand Gupta lives on Din alal Street. Satyam scam flashes red flags. Harshad Mehta bears the pitfalls. P/E ratios chat like over chai. Bulls drive uptrends. Bears rip corrections. Beginners grin at lessons. Indian mutual fund myths shatter. Index funds kick off. Picks scale later. Nifty crashes teach grit. Fun quizzes check smarts. Jargon vanishes. Families chat about it at dinner. Best books on trading for newbies, quick.
9. Mastering Options Trading in India
Author: Nagaraj Balasubramanium | Publication: Vision Books (2020) | Sold: Over 20,000 .
Nagaraj simplifies options for NSE chaos. Delta measures stock moves. Theta ticks time decay. He builds straddles for earnings pops. Iron condors grab range profits. Bank Nifty examples pay weekly. Hedge portfolios with puts. Roll trades smoothly. Risk caps at 2% per bet. Greeks guide adjustments. Backtests prove edges. Steady income beats stock swings. Indian traders sleep soundly. Best books on trading conquer derivatives.
10. Swing Trading
Author: Harneet Singh Kharbanda | Publication: Independent (2022) | Sold: Rising sales .
Harneet Kharbanda targets multi-day swings. Flags break to targets. Cup handles launch rallies. Tata Motors charts alert buys. Hold three to ten days max. Trail stops lock gains. Indian earnings seasons shine. Skip overnight gaps. RSI spots oversold gems. Volume confirms breakouts. Life fits around trades. No screen glue needed. Beat day trade burnout. Portfolios grow 25% yearly. Best books on trading free your time.
11. How to Make Money in Intraday Trading?
Author: Ashwani Gujral, Rachana A. Vaidya | Publication: Vision Books (2018) | Sold: Over 40,000 copies.
Ashwani Gujral draws from years on the NSE floors. He breaks intraday trading into clear steps. Volume spikes signal big moves first. You watch it surge, then enter trades. Stop losses shield your cash from wild swings. NSE examples show real setups from Reliance or HDFC Bank. Short bursts, trades under an hour, stack small wins daily. Gujral stresses discipline over greed. Track patterns daily. Risk is just 1% per trade. Readers turn chaotic days into steady gains. Best books on trading speed up your intraday edge.
12. The Thoughtful Investor
Author: Basant Maheshwari | Publication: Penguin (2014) | Sold: Over 25,000 copies.
Basant Maheshwari hunts growth stocks like a hawk. Earnings growth drives his picks. He scans for 25%+ yearly jumps. Avoid value traps with weak cash flows. Indian bull runs from 2003 to 2007 fill pages with lessons. Portfolios he built crushed Nifty by double digits. Spot multibaggers early, stocks that turn ₹1 lakh into ₹10 lakh. Maheshwari shares his own trades, wins, and flops. Research trumps tips. Patience pays in bull and bear phases. Best books on trading spot those rare 100-baggers.
13. Let’s Talk Money
Author: Monika Halan | Publication: HarperCollins (2018) | Sold: Over 100,000 copies.
Monika Halan maps money for everyday Indians. She fits stocks into tight budgets. Start with ₹5,000 monthly SIPs. Tax hacks slash your bill legally. Indian households cut debt first, then trade smart. Basics like emergency funds build your trading base. Halan busts myths, mutual funds beat FDs long-term. Track expenses weekly. Grow wealth without jargon. Women readers praise simple steps. Trade only spare cash. Best books on trading start with personal finance roots.
14. Rich Investing in 40 Days
Author: Shivabharat P | Publication: Notion Press (2020) |Sold: Thousands of copies.
Shivabharat P crams investing into 40 daily bites. Each day brings one NSE-focused lesson. Day 1: Read balance sheets. Day 10: Spot chart breakouts. Practice trades on paper first. Quick wins like 10% gains motivate you. NSE examples use Tata or Infosys swings. Build skills fast, no fluff. Review weekly. Readers finish as stronger traders. Speed suits busy pros in Pimpri-Chinchwad. Best books on trading accelerate your market ramp-up.
15. Value Investing and Behavioral Finance
Author: Parag Parikh | Publication: Tata McGraw-Hill (2009) | Sold: Over 50,000 copies.
Parag Parikh dives deep into mind traps. Biases like overconfidence kill returns. Value investing fixes it: buy cheap, sell fair. Indian cases from the Harshad Mehta scam seal lessons. Advanced edges come from calm choices. Herd mentality costs crores. Parikh blends Graham with psych tests. Check your decisions daily. Evolve from a gambler to a pro. Long-term compounding rewards patience. Best books on trading: Evolve your inner trader.
Why These Books Work for Indian Markets?
Indian markets move very fast. Prices change within seconds. News spreads quickly. Social media adds noise. In such an environment, emotions rise faster than logic. Fear pushes traders to exit early. Greed forces them to enter late. This is where the best books on trading make a real difference. They slow the trader’s thinking and bring clarity during chaos.
These books focus on habits, not shortcuts. They teach traders how to plan before the market opens. They explain how to manage risk when trades go wrong. They also show how to stay patient when nothing is happening. These habits stay useful even when market trends change. A good habit never goes out of date.
Most importantly, these books teach process over prediction. They do not ask traders to guess the market. They train traders to follow rules, manage emotions, and stay consistent. That is why experienced traders read the same books again and again. Each reread strengthens discipline and reminds them what truly works in Indian markets.
Conclusion
Trading success rarely starts with luck. It starts with thinking better. The best books on trading help traders pause before reacting. They replace noise with clarity. They turn fear into structure. If the introduction felt familiar, this conclusion should feel hopeful.
You do not need secret strategies. You need steady thinking. Books give that edge quietly. Read. Reflect. Trade better.
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