John M. Morris and Virginia B. Morris: The Wall Street Journal Guide to Understanding Money and Investing (1999)

This book lives up to its intention as an introduction to the basics of money and investing. It begins with the history of the monetary system in the United States and elsewhere, explains stocks, stock exchanges, the market and its cycles, bonds, mutual funds, and futures and options.
Full of charts, tables, and graphics, it provides illustrations and examples of concepts and financial processes, such as what happens during a purchase of stock on the New York Stock Exchange. Additionally, it shows correlations--the cause and effect relationship between weak and strong dollars on international stock purchases.

The book offered investment strategies, using options. As the authors stated:

"You can use options conservatively to increase your income or to limit your risk.
The most popular income-producing strategy is selling covered calls. You write call options on a share-for-share basis against stocks you own. If someone exercises the calls, you meet your obligation to sell by handing over your stocks. The goals of covered calls are to provide some protection if the stock price falls, establish a selling price above the current market price or increase your income in a sideways market, when prices move up and down within a very small range.
Writing cash-secured puts is another income-oriented approach. You sell a put for each 100 shares of stock an investor is willing to buy at a special price. Then, as security, you invest an equivalent amount in U.S. Treasury bills or a money market account. If the put is exercised, you liquidate that investment and use the cash to buy the stock"(pp. 144-145).

I plan to read more recent editions of this book, to make a comparison of the information they contain. Stay tuned!

Morris, K. M. & V. B. Morris. (1999). The Wall Street Journal Guide to Understanding Money and Investing. New York: Lightbulb Press, Inc. and Dow Jones & Co., Inc.