Michael C. Thomsett has authored more than 70 financial books, including The Options Trading Body of Knowledge; Options Trading for the Conservative Investor, Second Edition; "Put" Option Strategies for Smarter Trading; Winning with Options; The LEAPS Strategist; and the best-selling Getting Started in Options, now in its 8th edition with 250,000+ copies sold. His book The Investment and Securities Dictionary was named by Choice as an Outstanding Academic Book for 1988. Before starting his professional writing career in 1978, Thomsett was an accountant. He has actively traded options since the mid-1970s.