Shortlisted for the Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Prize 2008 The Snowball is the first and will be the only biography of the world's richest man, Warren Buffett, written with his full cooperation and collaboration. Combining a unique blend of "The Sage of Omaha's" business savvy, life story and philosophy, The Snowball is essential reading for anyone wishing to discover and replicate the secrets of his business and life success. Warren Buffett is arguably the world's greatest investor. Even as a child he was fascinated by the concept of risk and probability, setting up his first business at the age of six. In 1964 he bought struggling Massachusetts textile firm Berkshire Hathaway and grew it to be the 12th largest corporation in the US purely through the exercise of sound investing principles - a feat never equalled in the annals of business. Despite an estimated net worth of around US$62 billion, Buffett leads an intriguingly frugal life taking home a salary of only GBP50,000 a year. His only indulgence is a private jet, an extravagance he wryly acknowledges by calling it "The Indefensible".In 2006, he made the largest charitable donation on record, with most of it going to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Snowball provides a comprehensive, richly detailed insight one of the world's most extraordinary and much loved public figures.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Is he good, or lucky?:
What I liked-->First, for an 800+ page book, the author keeps a good pace. The book was entertaining throughout. Second, the author sticks to the facts. Third, the chapter on Mrs. B is wonderful. It is America at its best. Fourth, the story of what happened at Salomon Brothers is great to read, and timely. Fifth, after reading the book Mr. Buffett seems like a real human being. What I didn't like-->The author made a decision that a step by step description of the process Mr. Buffett uses to evaluate... more info
Very unhappy:
I bought this book as a Christmas present for my Son. I ordered it on 28th November but did not receive it until after Christmas so am very very very unhappy.
fascinating:
It gives us an insight into one of the most complex characters in american finances - both the good and the bad. The info on acquirting companies was terrific. Highlight. On weekend with Reagan, he told the President that what he was doing - spending more than he collected - would forever start the nation on a serious journey of overwhelming debt. This was 1982 and here we are in 2009 and another Republican President has certainly done a number in this area in leaving us shortlyto a horrible long term... more info
A great book, especially in today's economic crisis:
I purchased this book for my husband and gave it to him for Christmas. Since then, he has been devouring it. The book is quite large and my husband describes it as "heavy reading" because there is a great deal of detail about Warren Buffet's life and the people in it, both from a personal perspective and also from a business perspective. My husband reads passages of the book to me because he is so enthusiastic about it, and I have to admit that the content does indeed sound very interesting. It appears that... more info
