Stocks are constantly in and out of fashion, a book on stocks will quickly date. To understand stocks, best to understand the company and current sentiment moving the market. Consider gold stocks, atm most are at bargain prices, not many people are interested, prices languishing, it's a ripe time to buy but if sentiment is not there they will continue to languish. Technically once majority of gold above MA200 then sentiment will change even though the companies have not changed.
Ross Cameron has a book out, You can get it for free if you sign up for his free webinar. Wasn't all that impressed but it's a start. Andrew Aziz Has a couple books. Haven't read either but have started the Advanced Day Trading one and am more impressed that I was with Cameron's. They are all available on Kindle for the price of a cup of coffee.
This book is not for beginners but it's worth it for beginners. After a few years of trading experience and read it again. It will become crystal clear. Reminiscences Of A Stock Operator : EDWIN LEFÈVRE : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
General Electric is a good example. It was a gold standard. Jack Welch gotten the 6 Sigma idea from someone and ran away with it. It never last. It's splitting up into its constituents.
Four steps to trading success, by John F. Clayburg. This book is now really outdated when the author begin by "in today's electronics markets..." Well, as other mentioned, all books are by definition outdated. Very easy to read, nothing complicated here, absolutely not a book that will tell you all, but jut 2 amazing great concepts: How to establish the major direction of the day and the High and Low after one hour of the trading session. Not very entertaining, just 2 great concepts to catch. Like in all trading or investing books, I see 3 categories: The entertaining et very successful books but no real value, the technical with a lot of different concepts that used to work, and the the two or three major concepts that could come in a 20 page books. This book is one of the last category.
Good question. I really do not know. I believe it first starts with you and how much time you have per day to take trades. Then go for there. I only have 1 to 2 hours per day to stare at chart, and I do not like holding trades once I close my chart. So quick in and out trading fit's my lifestyle for day trading. I do not like finding stocks, so futures fits my lifestyle. So just see what trading style fits you first. Then go from there. I never read a book on day trading.