PHILIP A. FISHER began his career as a securities analyst in 1928, and founded Fisher & Company, an investment counseling business, in 1931. He is known as one of the pioneers of modern investment theory.

Preface: What I Learned from My Father's Writings (Kenneth L. Fisher).

Introduction (Kenneth L. Fisher).

PART ONE: COMMON STOCKS AND UNCOMMON PROFITS.

Preface.

1. Clues from the Past.

2. What "Scuttlebutt" Can Do.

3. What to Buy:The Fifteen Points to Look for in a Common Stock.

4. What to Buy: Applying This to Your Own Needs.

5. When to Buy.

6. When to Sell: And When Not To.

7. The Hullabaloo about Dividends.

8. Five Don'ts for Investors.

9. Five More Don'ts for Investors.

10. How I Go about Finding a Growth Stock.

11. Summary and Conclusion.

PART TWO: CONSERVATIVE INVESTORS SLEEP WELL.

Epigraph.

Introduction.

1. The First Dimension of a Conservative Investment.

2. The Second Dimension.

3. The Third Dimension.

4. The Fourth Dimension.

5. More about the Fourth Dimension.

6. Still More about the Fourth Dimension.

PART THREE: DEVELOPING AN INVESTMENT PHILOSOPHY.

Dedication to Frank E. Block.

1. Origins of a Philosophy.

The Birth of Interest.

Formative Experiences.

First Lessons in the School of Experience.

Building the Basics.

The Great Bear Market.

A Chance to Do My Thing.

From Disaster, Opportunity Springs.

A Foundation Is Formed.

2. Learning from Experience.

Food Machinery as an Investment Opportunity.

Zigging and Zagging.

Contrary, but Correct.

Patience and Performance.

To Every Rule,There Are Exceptions . . . But Not Many.

An Experiment with Market Timing.

Reaching for Price, Foregoing Opportunity.

3. The Philosophy Matures.

E Pluribus Unum.

History versus Opportunity.

Lessons from the Vintage Years.

Do Few Things Well.

Stay or Sell in Anticipation of Possible Market Downturns?

In and Out May Be Out of the Money.

The Long Shadow of Dividends.

4. Is the Market Efficient?

The Fallacy of the Efficient Market.

The Raychem Corporation.

Raychem, Dashed Expectations, and the Crash.

Raychem and the Efficient Market.

Conclusion.

Appendix: Key Factors in Evaluating Promising Firms.

Functional Factors.

People Factors.

Business Characteristics.

Index.