I - Books
related to WARREN E. BUFFETT (08/30/1930 - ...)
Click on one of the following number and/or
scroll down.
Note: Some of the books appearing on this page
are also available as a Kindle book. There is no need to possess a Kindle reader
(example)
in order to be able to read Kindle books ! You just need a computer or a smartphone
("Kindle for PC, Mac, Iphone,...") or an internet access ("Kindle
Cloud Reader"). More details here.
WARNINGS : I tried to gather, and rank by category, all the books
written about, and by, Warren Buffett. But, in my humble opinion, you must be
aware that some of the books listed here just give you some partial ideas about
Mr. Buffett's thinking. Moreover, sometimes a few add some errors. By the way,
one can also wonder if some books are created partly to make an ad for the author's
investment firm? Anyway, in order to guide you, I tried to be as precise as
possible in each of my comments and categories. I am sure you will
learn something worthwile. Enjoy your readings! ;-)
1) Reports written by Warren Buffett :
"The
Annual Reports Of Berkshire
Hathaway (BRK)" (from 1977 until present) :
My comment is a quote of an anonymous investor : "Each investor
should take the time to read these reports. You will often find all the
contrary of what you have learnt in Business School, but you will really
understand how to make good investments." These iconoclastic
reports were written by Warren Buffett and represent
a genuine "bible" of investment ! I also often read
in some online boards, the following quote: "You
don't have to look anywhere else, it is all here".
Note: I
highly recommend the reading of, at least, the last report.
"A three volume set of compilations of letters (1977 through 2000)
is available upon written request accompanied by a payment of $35.00 to
cover production, postage and handling costs. Requests should be submitted
to the Company at 3555 Farnam St., Suite 1440, Omaha, NE 68131."
from the 2000
and until 2003 Berkshire Hathaway annual reports (see the last page).
Moreover the following documents are included in this three volume
set of compilations (These documents are not available in the website
of Berkshire Hathaway): "Blue Chip
Annual Letter - 1981 and 1982"; "Letter of November 26, 1980 explaining
Illinois National Bank Divestiture"; "Letter of June 30, 1983 explaining
Blue Chip Merger"; "Chairman's Letter of August 5, 1988 regarding NYSE
Listing"; "Annual Report Letter WESCO Financial Corporation - 1989 and
1990"; "Mutual Saving's Letter of Resignation from U.S. League of Savings
Institutions".
"The
most representative book on my thinking is what Larry Cunningham put together"
- Warren Buffett - 2000
Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting . Contains some of
the best parts of Berkshire Hathaway's annual reports.
Trick : You can order this book and 500 pages more of Buffett's
essays Here.
Please note that these 500 pages are intense academic writings! (It
is quite the same price as the book alone). Note: Mr Cunningham is now
a Professor of Law and Business at the George
Washington University Law School.
BONUS 1: You
can find other essays by the same author here.
"The Warren Buffett Business Factors : Selected articles from the
Letters of Warren E. Buffett to the Shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway
Inc. " Editor of this free ebook :
Cesar Labitan, Jr. 100 pages, 08/2002
Readers are encouraged to email Cesar Labitan (clabitan@juno.com)
additional sections for future updated versions. His only requirement
is that sections must be from publicly viewable "pure documented Buffett
writings with link and date of issuance". Thank you ;-)
"The
Compounding Success Theory : Behavioral Finance Factors that Contribute
to the Successful Investment Decisions made by Warren Buffett and Charlie
Munger." Editor of this free ebook :
Cesar Labitan, Jr. 89 pages, 01/2003
Readers are encouraged to email Cesar Labitan (clabitan@juno.com)
additional sections for future updated versions. His only requirement
is that sections must be from publicly viewable "pure documented Buffett
writings with link and date of issuance". Thank you ;-)
"The
intelligent investor" by Benjamin
Graham. 354 pages, 11/1997. Translation of the last edition (1971) (First
edition in 1949).
This best-seller of Value investing shows the reader the basis of the
wisdom in the Stock Exchange. Highly
recommended by Warren Buffett.: "...The most important investment
book, especially chapters 8 and 20"(1994
Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting ). The appendix contains
the 1984 speech by Warren Buffett : "The Superinvestors of Graham & Doddsville."
You may also be interested with this revised edition (annoted by Jason
Zweig) released in 2003. "(...)Jason Zweig
last year did a first-class job in revising The Intelligent Investor,
my favorite book on investing." - Warren Buffett (2003
Berkshire Hathaway Annual Report). You can buy this book here
BONUS : You can
find more discussions about this book : Here
"Common
stocks and uncommon profits"by Philip Fisher. John
Wiley & Sons. 200 pages, 05/2000. (First edition in 1958).
Note: The last edition (1996) contains two other
texts by Philip Fisher : "Conservative investors sleep well"
(1975) and "Developing an investment philosophy" (1980) [= 2/3
pages more !].
"I
highly recommend his books , especially the early ones" Warren Buffett
- 2000 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting .
Contains the basics of an investment strategy encouraging the research
about a company and its environment.
BONUS 1: You
can read a financial column written by his son, Kenneth L. Fisher , here
"Paths
to wealth through common stocks" by Philip Fisher. (213
pages, 08/2007). [Original edition by Prentice-Hall Inc. 211 pages, 1960.
Cover here].
"I'd
also recommend the first two books that Phil Fisher wrote back around
1960 - Common stocks and uncommon profits and his second one - Paths to
wealth through common stocks. Those are very good books." Warren Buffett
- OID 1996 .
IMHO, only some parts of this book will interest you.
Warren Buffett also recommended the book: "Poor
Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger" Edited by
Peter D. Kaufman (2005 and 2006 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meetings).
More info here
3) Biographies :
"Of
Permanent Value: the Story of Warren Buffett : 2011 Travel and Adventure
Edition" - in one single (big) volume
by Andrew Kilpatrick. Andy Kilpatrick Publishing Empire. 1,250 pages,
04/2011. This new edition also contains more than 1500 photos
(200 of which are in color)! ;)
"Puny, but at least
it's a start" - Warren Buffett
This is a
great biography
which is very detailed (look at the number of pages). For me it is like
a "Bible". Each time I need a detailed story about Warren Buffett
or his company, Berkshire Hathaway, I utilize this book. Example : you
can find some extracts of old Berkshire Hathaway annual letters (1970,
1974, 1975, 1976,...).
Personal Note: I would like to thank the author of this book,
Andy Kilpatrick, for giving me the permission to use some data from his
book here.
Andy Kilpatrick has this time self published its book. It is available
at Amazon.com
and also directly at : Andy Kilpatrick Publishing Empire, 17 Office Park
Circle/Suite 1, Birmingham, Al 35223 USA. Phone&Fax: (205)
251-2828. Email: ANDYAKPE@gmail.comAndy Kilpatrick has also
his website : http://www.andykilpatrick.net/
BONUS
:Here are
the covers of the previous editions : The first two editions of
this big book were released under the name "Warren Buffett,
the good guy of Wall Street". It contained no photo and had
a tiny amount of pages (around only 300) compared to "Of Permanent
Value".
09/1992 (Hardcover)
and 01/1995 (Paperback)
- 304 pages : "Warren
Buffett, the good guy of Wall Street" - (Big
cover)
The following editions were
published under the current name "Of Permanent Value: The Story
of Warren Buffett":
12/2003 : "More
in '04, California Edition". Warren Buffett commented
on the back page: "I'm waiting for more complete
coverage" ;-) - 1500 pages & 750 photos
- (Big
cover)
07/2004 : "2005 Edition"
(Note: "The front cover features a photo of the 15.8
people who work at Berkshire Hathaway headquarters in
Omaha"). Warren Buffett commented on the back page:
"I'm waiting for more complete coverage"
;-) -1542 pages & 850 photos - (Big
cover)
The size of this book
increased again. It is now a 2 volumes book !
&
12/2006 : " 2007
International Edition - in 2 Volumes"
- 1816 pages & 1200 photos. "I'm waiting for
more complete coverage." - Warren Buffett - Bigger
picture : Volume
1 (Copyrighted - Used with permission) Note: The
back cover photo is of Buffett and NBA's LeBron James.
BONUS:Audio interview here
for the release of the 2006 Literary Edition.
&
03/2008 : " 2008
Cosmic Edition - in 2 Volumes"
- 1476 pages & 1400 photos (100 of which are in
color). "Needs Fleshing out." - Warren Buffett
- Bigger picture : Volume
1 (Copyrighted - Used with permission). BONUS:More details (TOC,...) here
(BRKNEWS Member only)
&
04/2009 : " 2009
Woodstock Edition - in 2 Volumes"
- 1972 pages & 1500 photos (200 of which are in
color). "A bit skimpy" - Warren Buffett - Bigger
picture : Volume
1 (Copyrighted - Used with permission). BONUS:More details (TOC,...) here
(BRKNEWS Member only)
The size of this book
increased again. It is now a 3 volumes book !
&
&
04/2010 : " A Trilogy /
2010 Edition- in 3 Volumes"
- 2000 pages & 1600 photos (200 of which are in color).
"Puny, but at least it's a start" - Warren Buffett
You can also buy the current edition of this book here
(You may also find another book description with a table of contents and
a free excerpt)
"Buffett
: The making of an American Capitalist"
by Roger Lowenstein. (old
covers). Orion Publishing Co. 512 pages, 08/1995 (reprinted in 08/1997
& 04/2008).
Another great
biography. This book is becoming a little old, but it is still
a very interesting book. April 2008: the new reprint contains a new afterword
by the author.
Buy this book here
(You may also find another book description with a table of contents and
a free excerpt)
"101
Reasons to Own the World's Greatest Investment: Warren Buffett's Berkshire
Hathaway" by Robert P. Miles. 240 pages,
03/2001 (Old Cover). Wiley
& Sons, Inc. ISBN : 0-471-41123-X.
"Robert Miles clearly
understands the company well" - Warren Buffett
This is a revised edition of the book which was written in the end of
1998. Frankly, the year doesn't matter as it is still extremely
enlightening ! The author post some messages, from time to
time, with the nickname of "SimpleInvestor" on the "The
Motley Fool" site.
BONUS
:You
can find an old version (not updated) of this book for free here.
In my humble opinion, it is a better idea to buy the revised edition of
this book. ;-)
"The
Warren Buffett CEO: Secrets From the Berkshire Hathaway Managers"
by Robert P. Miles. 308 pages, 10/2001. Wiley
& Sons, Inc. ISBN : 0-471-44259-3.
"I
recommend Robert Miles's book, The Warren Buffett CEO: Secrets of the
Berkshire Hathaway Managers. I know you couldn't have a better group of
people. You'll like your investment better after reading it." - Warren
Buffett
- 2002 Wesco Annual
Meeting (Extracted from
here)
"Mr Buffett
"...does think that Bob Miles did a very good job on the (new) book,..."
said Debbie Bosanek, Buffett's personal assistant" (Extracted from here)
In my humble opinion, it is just another "one of a kind book" by Mr.
Miles. It is the only book which contains interviews with the business
managers of Berkshire Hathaway. Moreover when you know that these CEO
manage businesses which are not listed on the Stock Exchange (*)
and rarely make interviews with journalists, you understand why you will
like this book. ;-) Finally here is a quote by Jack Welch : "Everyone
knows Warren is the greatest investor of our time .... This book, for
the first time, captures his genius as a manager".
(*) The Washington Post excepted.
BONUS
:Book reader comments : here
(follow the thread) ; or there
"Behind
the Berkshire Hathaway Curtain: Lessons from Warren Buffett's Top Business
Leaders" by Ronald Chan. 178 pages. 04/2010.
"Berkshire
is where it is today because of the all-stars running our various operating
businesses. This book captures what makes them special."
- Warren Buffett (from the book cover)
Buy this book here(You may also find another book description with a table
of contents and a free excerpt)
More Books
related to Berkshire Hathaway subsidiaries and main stock holdings are available
here
5) Other books recommended by Warren Buffett
:
"The
Money Masters" by John Train.
320 pages. Publisher: Viking Penguin Pub.11/1981. ISBN: 014005944X [Re-issued
: Harper Business Pub. 09/1994. ISBN: 0887306381 ] Note: This book is
not the same as "The new money masters" or "Money masters
of our time".
Recommended by
Warren Buffett - (August 8, 1996).
The only chapter which talks about Warren Buffett, is worth reading.
[Extracts from the 1978 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Report are also available
in the appendixes].
[Charlie Munger gave his opinion of this author during the 2001 Wesco
annual meeting : "Asked to comment on John Train's books (The Money
Masters, etc.), Munger said, "He's a gifted writer with moderate insights
into the investment process." from here]
"Essays
in Persuasion" by John Maynard Keynes. Norton, W. W. &
Company, Inc. 373 pages, 11/1990 reprint. ISBN : 0393001903
"I especially
recommend Keynes' essays on persuasion. Reading Keynes will make you smarter
about securities and markets. I'm not sure reading most economist would
do the same." - Warren Buffett-
(OID
June 23, 1989).
Buy this book here
(You may also find another book description with a table of contents and
a free excerpt)
"Science of Hitting" by Ted Williams
and John Underwood.. Fireside. 96 pages, 04/1986.
"Ted Williams,
in his book The Science of Hitting, talked about how he carved up the
strike zone into different zones and only swung at pitches that were in
his sweet spot. Investing is the same way."-
Warren Buffett
-2003 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting.
Buy this book here
(You may also find another book description with a table of contents and
a free excerpt)
"The People V. Clarence Darrow : The Bribery Trial
of America's Greatest Lawyer" by Geoffrey Cowan. Times
Books. 546 pages, 1993. ISBN: 0812921798
Recommended by
Warren Buffett - (OID June 23, 1994).
Buy this book here
(You may also find another book description with a table of contents and
a free excerpt)
"The
General Theory of Employment Interest and Money" by John
Maynard Keynes. Prometheus Books. 419 pages, 1997 reprint (first edition
: 1935). ISBN : 1-573-92139-4
Chapter 12, "The State of Long-Term Expectation",
is recommended by Warren Buffett (OID
June 23, 1994).
You will be pleased to read powerful financial ideas about valuations.
They were written by Keynes in 1935 and are still valid today.
Buy this book here
(You may also find another book description with a table of contents and
a free excerpt)
"Benjamin
Graham on Value Investing : Lessons from the Dean of Wall Street"
by Janet C. Lowe. Penguin USA. 246 pages, 03/1996 reprint (First edition
10/1994). ISBN : 0140255346
"One of the
luckiest events in my life was when I met Ben Graham...and anyone with
an interest in investments will relish this book" - Warren Buffett
(from the front cover of the book)
A great small book which relates the life of Benjamin Graham with the
financial perpective in mind. Interesting!
Buy this book here
(You may also find another book description with a table of contents and
a free excerpt)
"A Piece of the Action: How the Middle Class Joined
the Money Class" by Joseph Nocera. Touchstone Books. 468
pages, 11/1995 (first edition 10/1994). ISBN: 0684804352
Recommended by
Warren Buffett - (OID August 10,
1995).
BONUS 2: Small
review : here
; Note: This book was on the list of the "Best Business books of
1994" by Business Week
Buy this book here
(You may also find another book description with a table of contents and
a free excerpt)
"Will America Grow up Before it Grows Old : How the
Coming Social Security Crisis Threatens You, Your Family and Your Country"
by Peter G. Peterson. 237 pages, 10/1996.
"Father, Son & Co : My Life at IBM and Beyond"
by Thomas, Jr. Watson. Bantam Doubleday Dell Pub. 480 pages, 2000 reprint.
ISBN: 0553380834
I don't know for
sure if Warren Buffett truly recommended this book. Anyway, he often talked
about it during some old Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meetings.
BONUS 1: Short
biographies : Thomas J. Watson Jr. (son) here,
Thomas J. Watson (father) here
Buy this book here
(You may also find another book description with a table of contents and
a free excerpt)
"Memos from the Chairman" by Alan
"Ace" C. Greenberg. John Wiley & Sons, 160 pages, 04/1996. ISBN
: 0761103465.
"Many
years ago, Where are the customers' Yachts?, through a humorous
look at Wall Street, dispensed some of the best investment advice ever
written. In this book, Ace has applied the same treatment to managerial
advice with equal success." - Warren Buffett(from
the Foreword)
This book gives you an example of interesting Chairman letters to its
employees all along the years of a Bearn Stearn's life.
Buy this book here
(You may also find another book description with a table of contents and
a free excerpt)
"Where Are the Customers' Yachts? or A Good Hard
Look at Wall Street (Wiley Investment Classics)" by Fred
Schwed, Jr. Wiley. 170 pages, 01/2006 (First edition - 1940). Introduction
by Jason Zweig.
Read the comments of the book above. ;-)
"This book
was first published in 1940 and is now in its 4th edition. The funniest
book ever written about investing, it lightly delivers many truly important
messages on the subject." - Warren
Buffett (2006 Berkshire Hathaway Annual
Report)
BONUS : Book
review by TMT Selena : here
& Quotes here.
"Only the Paranoid Survive : How to Exploit the Crisis
Points That Challenge Every Company" by Andrew S. Grove.
Bantam Books. 224 pages, 1999 reprint (first edition 1997). ISBN: 0385483821
Recommended by
Warren Buffett - (OID August 8,
1997).
The business world is continually evolving. CEOs : Be ready to adapt
your company or die!
" It is very
honest. I know if I were writing my autobiography, I'd make myself look
like Arnold Schwartzneger."- Warren Buffett -2001 Berkshire
Hathaway Annual Meeting.
BONUS 1: Interviews
with Katharine Graham : Number
1 and Number
2
BONUS 2: Book
Review : here
(follow the historical links at the bottom of the page)
Buy this book here
(You may also find another book description with a table of contents and
a free excerpt)
"The
Expanded Quotable Einstein" by Albert
Einstein. 456 pages. Publisher: Princeton Univ P. 5/2000 Enhanced edition.
ISBN: 0691070210
"I read a little
easier book. I'm not sure of the title, but it's something to the effect
of The Quotable Einstein. It's a lot of his commentary over the years.
Great reading." -1998 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting.
Buy this book here
or here
(old version) (You may also find another book description with a table
of contents and a free excerpt)
"The Farmer From Merna: (State farm)"
by Karl Schriftgeisser. Random House. 235 pages, 1996 reprint (first edition
1955). ISBN: 0394424425
"State Farm was
launched in 1922,... In the end, however, State Farm eclipsed all its
competitors. In fact, by 1999 the company had amassed a tangible net worth
exceeding that of all but four American businesses. If you want to read
how this happened, get a copy of The Farmer from Merna." - Warren Buffett
-2000
Berkshire Hathaway Annual Report.
" Common
sense on mutual funds : New imperatives for the intelligent investor "
by John C. Bogle. John
Wiley & Sons, Inc. 468 pages, 02/2001 (First edition 03/1999).
In this book you will learn that the index funds (*)
have better results than 85 % of the funds managed in the world !
The author shows you new great stock exchange statistics in the very long
term. Warren Buffett's
comment on this book is : "A must read for every investor".
(*) ( No-load fund. Fund that follows the result of an index.
Example : a fund on the Dow Jones 30. The stocks inside this fund represent
the 30 stocks of the Dow Jones 30. Moreover, these 30 stocks do not change
really often. So, the fees of these funds are really low which means more
money to be invested for shareholders of the fund ! ).
BONUS
: The author is the founder of the Vanguard
Group, the world's largest no-load mutual fund group (More).
"John
Bogle on Investing: The First 50 Years" by John C. Bogle.
McGraw-Hill. 455 pages, 09/2000. ISBN:
0-071-36438-2
"Any investor who owns
or is thinking of owning shares in a fund should read this book cover
to cover" - Warren Buffett (from the
back cover of the book)
BONUS : Look
at the book above !
Buy this book here
(You may also find another book description with a table of contents and
a free excerpt)
"Quality Financial Reporting" by Paul
B. W. Miller & Paul R. Bahnson. 304 pages, 07/2002.
"Accounting
is the language of business. In recent years, too often language has been
distorted to the point of becoming unintelligible. This book is a step
toward restoring its usefulness." - Warren Buffett (from
the front cover of the book)
Buy this book here
(You may also find another book description with a table of contents and
a free excerpt)
"Take
on the Street: What Wall Street and Corporate America Don't Want You to
Know. What you can do to fight back" by Arthur Levitt.
Pantheon Books. 288 pages, 10/2002. ISBN: 0375421785
"During my
lifetime, the small investor has never had a better friend than SEC chairman
Arthur Levitt. His goal was unwavering: To have markets that served the
interests of investors, both large and small.."- Warren Buffett (from
the back cover of the book)
"...The details
of this sordid affair [expensing stock-options] are related in Levitt’s
excellent book, Take on the Street." Warren Buffett
- 2002 Berkshire Hathaway Annual Report
This book will give the average investor ideas of conflict of interests
that exist on Wall Street. Alas, mostly things you already know IMHO.
Buy this book here
(You may also find another book description with a table of contents and
a free excerpt)
"Jack:
Straight from the Gut" by Jack Welch. Warner Books. 496
pages, 09/2001. ISBN: 0446528382
"Jack is the Tiger
Woods of management. All CEOs want to emulate him. They won't be able
to, but they'll come closer if they listen carefully to what he has to
say." - Warren Buffett (from the back cover
of the book)
In this autobiography, you will get an idea of what Mr.Welch was feeling
when he was leading the transformation of General Electric.
Buy this book here
(You may also find another book description with a table of contents and
a free excerpt)
"Sam
Walton: Made in America: My Story"
by Sam Walton. 346 pages. Publisher: Bantam Books.6/1993 reissue. ISBN:
0553562835
"Buffett answered
students' questions, talked about his investing philosophy over Cherry
Cokes, and recommended the autobiography of former Wal-Mart Chairman Sam
Walton, Auxier said" Bloomberg News April
03, 2003
Buy this book here
(You may also find another book description with a table of contents and
a free excerpt)
"Bull!
: A History of the Boom, 1982-1999: What drove the Breakneck Market--and
What Every Investor Needs to Know About Financial Cycles"
by Maggie Mahar. 512 pages. 10/2003.
"A 2003 book
that investors can learn much from is Bull! by Maggie Mahar" - Warren
Buffett (2003 Berkshire Hathaway Annual
Report)
BONUS 2: Special
Illustrated Edition available here
"Running
On Empty: How The Democratic and Republican Parties Are Bankrupting Our
Future and What Americans Can Do About It"
by Peter G. Peterson. 272 pages. 07/2004.
"Today,
too many of our country's key economic decisions are being made with an
eye to the next election rather than to the next generation. This book
explains in simple but powerful terms why it's imperative that our attention
must be refocused now." - Warren Buffett (from
the frontcover).
"The
Man Behind the Microchip: Robert Noyce and the Invention of Silicon Valley"
by Leslie Berlin. 440 pages. 05/2005.
"Leslie
Berlin does an excellent job of capturing the Bob Noyce I knew: part small-town
boy, part big-time genius and always a wonderful friend and citizen."
- Warren Buffett - (from the back cover).
"Speculative
Contagion: An Antidote for Speculative Epidemics"
by Frank Martin. 316 pages. 11/2005.
"For
many years I've enjoyed reading Frank Martin's letters. This collection
contains much investment wisdom and, just as important, sets a standard
for the advisor-client relationship." "
- Warren Buffett - (from the front cover).
"The
Little Book of Common Sense Investing: The Only Way to Guarantee Your
Fair Share of Stock Market Returns (Little Book Big Profits)"
by John C. Bogle. 240 pages. 03/2007.
"Most
investors, both institutional and individual, will find that the best
way to own common stocks is trough an index fund that charges minimal
fees" - Warren Buffett - (from
the front cover).
In my humble opinion this an outstanding book. It is probably the
best on Mental Models. Nothing to add...except that you MUST buy it! ;)
Buying a new copy of this book at Amazon is a little
tricky: Go
here Then, click on "Used/New". "Intermountain Books
is the official shop which sell new copies of this book at Amazon".
"Supermoney
(Wiley Investment Classics)" [Edition with a new foreword by
John Bogle and a preface by Adam Smith (aka George J. W. Goodman)]
by Adam Smith. 298 pages. Wiley. 05/2006 (First edition :
cover - Random
House New York. 300 pages, 1972. ISBN : 0-394-47993-9).
"In
this book, Adam Smith says I like baseball metaphors. He's right. So I
will just describe this book as the equivalent of the performance of Don
Larsen on October 8, 1956. For the uninitiated, that was the day he pitched
the only perfect game in World Series history." -
Warren Buffett - (from the front cover).
Recommended
by Warren Buffett -2007 Berkshire
Hathaway Annual Meeting.
My Comments for the first edition (1972): Only the chapter III.5 talks
about Warren Buffett (pages 173 to 199). Note: The investor called "Herbert"
is Walter Schloss. (See the "Super investors of Graham and Doodsville"
in the annex of the book "The intelligent investor").[Note:
Personal thanks to Metalminer]. More infos here,
there
and here
Note: The original first edition can be bought here
and the new one there.
"Foods
You Will Enjoy - The Story of Buffett`s Store"
by Bill Buffett. 230 pages. Capital Offsett Company. 05/2008 ISBN : 0981658903.
Recommended
by Warren Buffett -2008 Berkshire
Hathaway Annual Meeting.
"Showing
Up for Life: Thoughts on the Gifts of a Lifetime"
by Bill Gates
Sr. & Mary Ann Mackin. 208 pages. Broadway Business. 04/2009.
“Bill
Senior is as wise as his son is brilliant. I’ve learned a lot from
both of them and believe everyone can benefit from the insights Bill Senior
shares in this book."
- Warren Buffett (from the back
cover)
Recommended
by Warren Buffett -2009 Berkshire
Hathaway Annual Meeting.
Buy this book here
(You may also find another book description with a table of contents and
a free excerpt)
6) Some "How to invest like Warren Buffett"
books for beginning investors:
"Wall Street
on sale : How to beat the market as a value investor : The techniques
used by master investor Warren Buffett and others" by Timothy
P. Vick. Mc
Graw Hill. 289 pages, 12/1998. ISBN : 0-071342-05-2.
In my humble opinion this is a sound
book for starting investing.
Buy this book here
(You may also find another book description with a table of contents and
a free excerpt)
"How to pick stocks like Warren Buffett : Profiting from
the bargain hunting strategies of the world's greatest value investor"
by Timothy P.
Vick.(Old Cover)
Mc Graw Hill
Professional Publishing. 224 pages, 08/2000. ISBN : 0-071357-69-6. [Note:
Personal thanks to "The Sandman"]
This book is a kind of a continuation of the preceding one. So, some
parts of the beginning may appear to be a little bit repetitive. The last
chapter is devoted to the use of arbitrage
by Warren Buffett. ;)
Buy this book here
(You may also find another book description with a table of contents and
a free excerpt)
This book is the logical sequel of the "Warren Buffett Way".
It talks more about the investment philosophy of Warren Buffett than technical
details for investing like Warren Buffett. This book is more interesting
than the previous one. Moreover, it is
the first one to put a name on the investment strategy of Warren Buffett
: the "Focus investing".
This book is recommended by Charlie Munger(Friend and associate
of Warren Buffett) as "an excellent introduction to investing".
Buy this book here
(You may also find another book description with a table of contents and
a free excerpt)
"How
to Think Like Benjamin Graham and Invest Like Warren Buffett"
by Lawrence
A. Cunningham. 267 pages, 01/2001. Mc
Graw Hill.. ISBN : 0-071369-92-9.
I haven't read the first part of this book (because I agree that Markets
are not always efficient). The others parts are interesting because they
show some accounting tricks used by some companies and the importance
of owner oriented managers.
BONUS : Listen
to a 30 minutes interview (03/13/01) with the author : Real
audio link here (from here)
Buy this book here
(You may also find another book description with a table of contents and
a free excerpt)
"Do Business with People You Can Trust: Balancing Profits and Principles"
by L. J. Rittenhouse. "Fifth-Year Anniversary Edition".
166 pages 05/2007 AndBEYOND Communications Inc.
(old cover - 144
pages, 04/2002. Old ISBN : 0971935602)
A good small book which will helps the reader to have a better idea of
the shareholder letters that CEOs publish in annual reports. The "Fifth-Year
Anniversary Edition" has an updated chapter. The author is also selling
on her website a map called: The "Rittenhouse ModelSM of a Stewardship-Based
Business".
"The New Buffettology: The Proven Techniques for Investing Successfully
in Changing Markets That Have Made Warren Buffett the World's Most Famous
Investor" by Mary Buffett &
David Clark. 288 pages, 09/2002.
You may have in mind like myself their first book (released in 1997)
which was criticized (see below).
In 2002, they wrote a new one which is better. Anyway, you can have a
look yourself! ;)
"The Real
Warren Buffett: Managing Capital, Leading People"
by James O'Loughlin. 282 pages, 10/2002 uk and 01/2003 US. Nicholas
Brealey Publishing Ltd. ISBN : 185788308X
I found this book really good! ;-) It contains many quotes from Berkshire
Hathaway annual reports. So you may say : "again?"! Ok. But when you know
that there are also some quotes from OID, the desire
to buy this book is increasing. ;-) So, all right. The sources are great.
But that's not all! IMHO, the Author, James O'Loughlin, did a great job
by linking these quotes and his own ideas. I must acknowledged that I
was surprised by the result. This book is a kind of a very good summary
of Warren Buffett's structuration of mind in the management of Berkshire
Hathaway. And yes. This books talks also about some of Charlie Munger
"mental models". ;-)
Here is an online review made by "Texirich" [Note : he didn't like the
last part of this book. Anyway, even if you don't like that last part,
the first two parts deserve IMHO to be read ;-)] : http://boards.fool.com/Message.asp?mid=18373896&sort=whole
Buy this book here
(You may also find another book description with a table of contents
and a free excerpt)
"Warren Buffett Wealth : Principles and Practical Methods Used by
the World's Greatest Investor" by
Robert P. Miles. 272 pages, 03/2004. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN
: 0471465119
Buy this book here
(You may also find another book description with a table of contents
and a free excerpt)
7) Small nice books or only a part of a book
:
"The Focus Investor" by Richard
M. Rockwood. 230 pages, 2004. Xlibris Corporation. ISBN : 1413472265.
An interesting book about Focus & Value Investing by Rich Rockwood
(who is also known over the online BRK Community for maintaining the Focus
Investor website).
BONUS : Hardcover/Paperback
choice is available directly here
You can also buy this book here
(You may also find another book description with a table of contents)
"The
Midas Touch : The Strategies That Have Made Warren Buffett 'America's
Preeminent Investor'" by John Train.
208 pages, 1987. Harper & Row Publishers, Inc. ISBN : 0-06-091500-5.
Pages 1 to 100 : The book. Even if it contains some small errors, it
gives you an interesting idea of Berkshire Hathaway during the 70's &
80's. Pages 100 to 174: S&P NYSE reports of companies in which Berkshire
Hathaway had invested during this time. Pages 175 to 187: Extracts from
Berkshire Hathaway's Annual reports (1970-1976).
Buy this book hereor here(You
may also find another book description with a table of contents)
"Warren
Buffett speaks : Wit and wisdom from the world's greatest investor (Second
Edition: Completely Revised and Updated)"
by Janet Lowe.(Covers).
John Wiley & Sons,
Inc. 272 pages, 08/2007. [First edition: 193 pages, 1997. Old
Cover. ISBN : 0-471-16996-X].
This little book is a good collection of Warren Buffett's quotes.
Buy this book here
(You may also find another book description with a table of contents and
a free excerpt)
"Warren
Buffett : The man who made billions with an unique investment strategy"
by Robert Heller. Dorling
Kindersley (DK) "Business Masterminds". 112 pages, 2000.
ISBN : 0-7513-0819-6
This little book gives you a view of Warren Buffett through a business
approach. Instructive ! Note: the author has the habit of making
best-sellers out of management books.
Buy this book here
(You may also find another book description with a table of contents and
a free excerpt)
"The
company you keep : A commonsense guide to value investing"
by Patrick Terrion. The Terrion Group, 231 pages, 08/1999. ISBN: 0-967414-80-6.
This book is a compilation of the 'Intrinsic Partner Interletters' (Volumes
1-12) that you can find for
free in this web site (http://www.terrion.com/)
, plus a few additional chapters, 'What To Look For In A Company' and
'Leonardo da Vinci And The "Kiss" Method Of Investing'.
This is a nice small book which contains some principles of Mr. Buffett
(but also some small errors).
Buy this book here
(You may also find another book description with a table of contents and
a free excerpt)
"J.
K. Lasser's Pick Stocks Like Warren Buffett"
by Warren Boroson. 304 pages, 10/2001.Wiley
& Sons, Inc. ISBN : 0-47-139774-1
Small book which contains some principles of Mr. Buffett (but also some
small errors) and interviews with some fund managers who try to invest
"à là" Buffett.
"Lessons
from the Legends of Wall Street : How Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham,
Phil Fisher, T. Rowe Price, and John Templeton, can help you grow rich"
by Nikki Ross. Dearborn
Trade. 269 pages, 09/2000. ISBN : 0-793-137152
This book is a good summary of the thinking of those famous investors
(Only one part talks about Warren Buffett). Tip : Don't forget to read
the amazon review of this book by Timothy Vick. ;-)
"Value
Investing: From Graham to Buffett and Beyond" by Bruce
C. N. Greenwald, Judd Kahn, Paul D. Sonkin, Michael van Biema. John
Wiley & Sons, Inc. 312 pages, 06/2001. ISBN : 0-471-38198-5.
Only pages 161 to 290 are related to : Warren Buffett, Mario Gabelli,
Glenn Greeberg, Robert Heilbrunn, Seth Klarman, Michael Price, Walter
& Edwin Schloss and Paul Sonkin. Alas, the only part related to Warren
Buffett is just a copy of some extracts of Mr. Buffett Letters to Shareholders
(see at the top of this page). ;-(
"The
Book of Investing Wisdom: Classic Writings by Great Stock-Pickers and
Legends of Wall Street" edited by Peter Krass. John
Wiley & Sons, Inc. 498 pages, 04/1999. ISBN : 0471294543.
IMHO the writing part by Warren Buffett will mostly interest you. You
can find it for free here
: "Track Record Is Everything" by Warren E. Buffett (scroll down
and start reading at "Track Record Is Everything" here
"Knights,
Raiders and Targets: The Impact of the Hostile Takeover"
Edited by John C. Coffee, Louis Lowenstein and Susan-Rose Ackerman. Oxford
University Press. 547 pages, 06/1988.
This book contains a small transcript of an old speech (November 13,
1985) by Warren Buffett (only 5 pages long out of 547) among other panelists.
Discussion about "the increasing level of takeover activity."
Buy this book here
or maybe here
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a free excerpt)
"Warren
Buffett Has Spoken. The Question Is, Who Is Listening?"
by James Pardoe. 250 pages, 01/2004.
"The
Tao of Warren Buffett: Warren Buffett's Words of Wisdom: Quotations and
Interpretations to Help Guide You to Billionaire Wealth and Enlightened
Business Management" by Mary Buffett and David Clark.
192 pages, 11/2006.
"The
Four Filters Invention of Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger"
by Bud Labitan. 97 pages, 05/2008.
Bud already compiled in the past two great ebooks called "The Warren
Buffett Business Factors" and "The Compounding Success Theory"
(see above). This small self-published book details four filters used
for buying companies at Berkshire Hathaway.
BONUS : Many
infos about the book are available on its website : http://www.frips.com/
"Secrets in Plain Sight: Business & Investing Secrets of Warren Buffett,
2012 Edition" by Jeff Matthews (His blog)
(Kindle
edition only Note: see end of book for receiving for free updates)
"The
Warren Buffett way" by Robert
Hagstrom. 435 pages, 10/1997. (First edition in 1994).
One of the first books devoted only to Warren Buffett. It describes how
Mr. Hagstrom thinks Mr. Buffett chooses his investments. This
book has been criticized.
["After criticizing Robert Hagstrom's first book about Buffett, The
Warren Buffett Way, as "not much of a contribution to human knowledge,"
Munger (the friend and partner of Warren Buffett) had nothing but praise
for Hagstrom's recent volume, The Warren Buffett Portfolio, which he described
as an excellent introduction to investing - From
here]
Buy this book here
(You may also find another book description with a table of contents and
a free excerpt)
"Buffettology
: the previously unexplained techniques that have made Warren Buffett
the world's most famous investor" by Mary Buffett &
David Clark. "Pocket Books": 320 pages, 1999. ISBN :0-671-03248-8.
Note: it exists another old version (1997) of this book.
Even if this book
was partly written by the former daughter-in-law of Warren Buffett, it
is criticized
because it describes some mathematical techniques for evaluating companies
"in the Buffett way". "Buffettology" seems to reduce
Buffett's thinking to mathematical formulas. And, this is not really right.
It is not his way of investing. [Be careful : I have not yet read this
book ! I am only relying on the ideas of some people (e.g.)
who have already read it. However, two good things in this book seem to
be chapters 43 and 45. Anyway read all the reviews from Amazon and judge
by yourself !] More information here : http://www.geocities.com/WallStreet/Market/7379/
(Excel Files) and http://www.buffettwatch.com/
The summary thinking of this book by Warren Buffett was : No quarrel
with theory. Not the book (he) would have written. Get more philosophy
from reading Berkshire annual reports. -1998 Berkshire Hathaway Meeting. (from here)
Buy this book here
(You may also find another book description with a table of contents and
a free excerpt)
Finally, in my humble
opinion (worth just that!), I am aware that the following books exist, but
I don't think it is a great idea to buy them ! :
"Thoughts of Chairman Buffett : Thirty Years
of Unconventional Wisdom from the Sage of Omaha" by
Simon Reynolds.
"Warren Buffett : Master of the Market"
by Jay Steele.
"Invest Like Warren Buffett, Live Like Jimmy
Buffett : A Money Manual for Those Who Haven't Won the Lottery"
by Luki Vail. (First edition: here)
"Buffett Step By Step: An Investor's Workbook"
by Richard Simmons.
"The Essential Buffett: Timeless Principles
for the New Economy" by Robert G. Hagstorm.
"Money Masters of Our Time" by John Train.
"The Best Investment Advice I Ever
Received: Priceless Wisdom from Warren Buffett, Jim Cramer,
Suze Orman, Steve Forbes, and Dozens of Other Top Financial
Experts" by Liz Claman
"Value Investing Made Easy: Benjamin Graham's
Classic Investment Strategy Explained for Everyone"
by Janet C. Lowe.
"How Buffett Does It"
by James Pardoe
"Rule #1: The Simple Strategy
for Successful Investing in Only 15 Minutes a Week!"
by Phil Town (More in BRKNEWS here)
"What Do I Do with My Money:
Answers to Any Market from Warren Buffett, Peter Lynch, and
Other Investors You Can Trust" by Clint Willis
"Warren Buffett Stocks - A
Guide to Investing In Stocks Like Warren Buffett Does"
by The Editors of SmithRiley
"The Winning Investment Habits of Warren
Buffett & George Soros" by Mark Tier. Note: The
hardcover
version has a different title: "Becoming Rich : The
Wealth-Building Secrets of the World's Master Investors Buffett, Icahn,
Soros". (More in BRKNEWS here)
"The
Annual Reports Of Berkshire
Hathaway (BRK)" (from 1977 until present) :
for
free
& 
