5 stars (THE place to start) - I bough 20 books before this set. I was wondering if the older Derivatives book was really worth $450 used without the CD. This is the place to start. It is written with style and humor coupled with a pace that is simple to adjust to. I judge a book by how many equations it has - more is BETTER! This set strikes a balance. The exposition is solid. It covers many specialized topics like Energy Derivatives (just a taste, mind you, but it is there to get us thinking). I guess the bottom line is this book allowed me to start thinking like a Financial Quant and less like a mathematical physicist. I have gotten much more out of the other more mathematical works because I understand how the Quants think. I still like The Physics of Finance by Ilinsky. This is more than the past Derivatives book (that makes up the first 65% of volume 1) and sets a real tone to understanding - this is just what I was looking for as I re-tool. Buy this FIRST. Read the TOC. Get moving! 1 stars (Insufficient) - This is not as good as Wilmott's earlier work, and even that could have benefited from better definition of terms. Wilmott needs to brush up on the latest techniques and talk to some practitioners to learn how to apply math to real world examples. It seems there is a lack of depth of understanding evidenced by the writing. The sections of self-expose are an embarrassment. 1 stars (Old Material) - This is recycled Wilmott, but not even as good as earlier work. His first book was better, probably because his co-authors talked some sense into him. His personal anecdotes demonstrate a low emotional IQ. It is as if Wilmott thinks that if readers agree with the finance they must agree with his incessant and juvenile self-regard. My reaction to the inappropriate self-expose was: "Who cares? Get some friends, they might help on the financial aspects of this book". Wilmott's financial IQ is only average, if this book is to be the evidence. It ... John Wiley - Sons :: Investment & securities :: Business & Economics & Finance :: Prices :: Options (Finance) :: Mathematical models :: Investments & Securities - Futures :: Investmen :: Paul Wilmott on Quantitative Finance- 2 Volume Set