I got this book after seeing it referred to in a number of magazine articles and financial websites. I had been reading about investing for a while and wanted to REALLY know about it past the basics of 1) pay down debt, 2) diversify, 3) fund your retirement, etc. I felt that I understood these basics and was ready to take it to the next level.

I really enjoyed the book, although admittedly some parts were a bit too advanced for me. It is not a casual read in that it requires some re-reading and hard thinking about what Graham says. However, it is edited by Jason Zweig who updated some of the concepts and terminology and provides commentary to relate it to the current time (Graham died in 1976 and Zweig updated it shortly after the dot-com bubble). My favorite is the appendix by Warren Buffet and his tale of the coin-flippers.

This book left me with two important and related ideas - the concept of the margin of safety and the rule to not pay too much. Both have applications outside of just investing and are a way to approach life as well.

I recommend this book for someone that wants a different outlook on investing or wants to develop a life-long investing strategy. I don't recommend this book for people looking to get a lot of money fast or looking for the next big thing - the book will guide you through a method of thought, but the application is something for the reader.