Tom's aim is to alert the reader to see within chart patterns, "the investment footprints" - what the market is thinking, where the stock is heading, how far it will travel, and how reliable the trail you are following is likely to be.

The database used is around 500 stocks per pattern from mid 1991 to 1996 on US markets. Some may feel that this makes it invalid for Australian markets, but in general chart patterns show the psychology of the crowd, the 'investment footprints", and thus would apply in general to all markets.

The book is well laid out with chapters in alphabetical order, at the start of each chapter is a Statistical Snapshot, with an overview of the pattern covered giving at a glance, the appearance, failure rate, failure rate if waited for break out, average rise, volume trend, percentage meeting predicted target. After the snapshot we are taken on a tour of the particular pattern, followed by Identification Guidelines, Focus on Failures, Statistics, Trading tactics, and then a walk through a sample trade.

At the back of the book is a Statistical Summary, with Top 10 Bearish Formations, Top 10 Bullish Formations etc. Also at the rear of the book is a handy quick reference section, Index of Chart Patterns, where at glance a chart pattern can be identified, you are then pointed to the relevant page/chapter to look more intently - this saves a lot of time that would be wasted searching through the book for a particular pattern of interest.