Book excerpt: Forbes Magazine called the 1,600-page, original Handbook of Futures Markets ``an exceptionally fine collection of work on every phase of the futures market.'' Now in paperback (and weighing much less than the six-and-a-half pound hardcover edition), this concise version covers the essential principles and methods in the encyclopedic original in 800 pages. Comprising all the material in Parts I through V of the original handbook, this edition brings together the know-how of the markets' foremost authorities. It covers futures markets and their operation; factors that influence the markets; uses of the markets, including hedging, managing interest rate risk, commodity spreads and options; forecasting methods and tools; and risk and money management.