There are so many books, guides, television shows, magazines and web sites on investing that it amounts to information overload. Sometimes, the reaction to so much information is to do nothing. The Morningstar web site has a short article with the author’s (David Kathman) suggestion for a handful of books for the beginner (which is most of us) who wants some guidance on investing:

The Only Investment Guide You’ll Ever Need, by Andrew Tobias

Buffet: The Making of an American Capitalist, by Roger Lowenstein

TheBogleheads’ Guide to Investing, by Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer & Michael LeBoeuf

A Random Walk Down Wall Street, by Burton G. Malkiel

Stocks for the Long Run, by Jeremy Siegel

All About Asset Allocation, by Richard A. Ferri

I would add two others: Against the Gods, by Peter Bernstein and Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation, by Edward Chancellor.