- Paperback: 262 pages
- Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; Revised and Updates Edition edition (9 April 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0470820780
- ISBN-13: 978-0470820780
- Product Dimensions: 22.2 x 15.2 x 2.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 216,326 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
 Trade In this Item for up to £2.80
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Investors and Managers, Revised Edition for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £2.80, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Product details |
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Buffett, the Bard of Omaha, is a genuine American folk hero, if folk heroes are allowed to build fortunes worth upward of $15 billion. He's great at homespun metaphor, but behind those catchy phrases is a reservoir of financial acumen that's generally considered the best of his generation. For example, in an essay on CEO stock options, he writes, "Negotiating with one's self seldom produces a barroom brawl." This is his way of saying that an executive who can give himself compensation totally disproportionate to his performance surely will. There are uncountable gems of financial wisdom to be harvested from these essays, taken from the annual reports he writes for Berkshire Hathaway, his holding company. Just to pick one more, here's a now-famous line about those he competes with when making stock-market investments: "What could be more advantageous in an intellectual contest--whether it be chess, bridge, or stock selection--than to have opponents who have been taught that thinking is a waste of energy?"
While Buffett has a policy of seldom commenting on stocks he owns--he feels public pronouncements will only lead to the public's expectation of more public pronouncements, and he likes to keep his cards close to his vest--he loves to discuss the principles behind his investments. These come primarily from Ben Graham, under whom Buffett studied at Columbia University and for whom he worked in the 1950s. First among them is the idea that price is what you pay and value is what you get--and if you're a smart investor, the first will always be less than the second. In that sense, the value of the lessons learned from Buffett's Essays could be far greater than the book's price. --Lou Schuler --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"...a fascinating compilation of the philosophies and at time humorous observations of one of the world′s most successful investors. A business classic." (Lloyd′s List, 10 May 2002)
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
Many annual meetings are a waste of time, both for shareholders and for management. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Many annual meetings are a waste of time, both for shareholders and for management. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 37 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Cunningham has done us a great favour. Buffett doesn't talk to the press and most books claiming to be Buffett bibles are re-hashes and interpretations, so this book of essays is the closest you will get to hearing it straight from the horse's mouth. This is Buffett's wisdom distilled from annual letters to shareholders in his company, which Cunningham has strung together seamlessly. Although that means alot of passages refer to Buffett's own firm and its shareholdings, the lessons for investors are universal, and the "value investing" philosophy shines through. If that was all there was to recommend the book it would still be a must-have for anyone interested in making money. But it is also a great read.
Buffett comes across as the most genial, honest and no-nonsense guy in the financial world. He also has a wonderfully impish sense of humour and had me chuckling out loud (and then trying in vain to explain the joke to my girlfriend...) The only bits where he slightly lost me was when comparing investing with baseball, but I think I got the gist of it. Anyway, Buffett writes as clearly as he thinks and is as modest and self-deprecating as he is authoritative. He treats his readers like the investors they are, so this is not an "entry level" book and it might be a struggle if you don't know the difference between a fixed asset and a preference share, but otherwise it is a book that you won't regret buying.
I can't recommend it highly enough.
Buffett comes across as the most genial, honest and no-nonsense guy in the financial world. He also has a wonderfully impish sense of humour and had me chuckling out loud (and then trying in vain to explain the joke to my girlfriend...) The only bits where he slightly lost me was when comparing investing with baseball, but I think I got the gist of it. Anyway, Buffett writes as clearly as he thinks and is as modest and self-deprecating as he is authoritative. He treats his readers like the investors they are, so this is not an "entry level" book and it might be a struggle if you don't know the difference between a fixed asset and a preference share, but otherwise it is a book that you won't regret buying.
I can't recommend it highly enough.
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I think studying Buffett's investment philosophy is one of the best ways to understand investing (succesfully). And in that case, what gives you a better opportunity to do this than reading explanations written by Buffett himself? Cunningham did a very good job in reflecting Buffett's investment philosophy by summarizing the annual letters to the shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway and some other essays from Buffett's hand. Therefore, you don't have to read the hundreds of pages that these letters make up, to get a good view of Buffett's insights and thinking. The summary is done in a very good way; it doesn't read like one and looks complete.
The undertitle of this book says that Buffett's observations also contain lessons to managers of corporations. I think this is correct; the book is a must read for both investors and managers.
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Buffett's shareholder letters were cited in the list of The FInancial Times' 10 best books ever written on investment, as selected by Richard Lambert, editor. In turn, The Wall Street Journal notes this collection of those letters is rated among the 5 books one must read on investment, as selected by J.P. Morgan. Common sense says it all, doesn't it, when you realize these writings are the wisdom of the richest man in the world and the only who made his wealth via investment. On top of it, the writings here are in plain English, witty, wry, an absolute delight (the word essays to describe these is a bit misleading, as these are a treat and joy to read not a chore at all).
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Book Review
This book covers all the basics of what to consider if you want to become a successful investor. It is not a get rich quick book though so no quick and easy fixes, it's all about... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Johnath
Great Book
I am a big fan of Buffet and have some other books about his works also. This book is definitely a good general read (provided of course you are interested in subject) and gives... Read more
Published 3 months ago by avid_online_shopper
If you want to fall asleep...
I am quite keen on reading, especially about business, but this book just keep putting me to sleep! It just repeats the core principles over and over again. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Ms. I. Aksenova
Must read for any young investor
This is a collection of Buffet's letters to his shareholders. Each letter contains pearls of investing wisdom which might sound very basic but are quite profound and very... Read more
Published on 17 Dec 2009 by Hemraj Praveen Kumar
A must have
This is the first Warren Buffett book I have ever bought and I wish I had bought it long ago. it isn't a technical analysis type book, but it makes you stop and completely re-think... Read more
Published on 2 Sep 2009 by Mark Mckaig
should have been names: the warren buffett investment dicitonary.
This book is great DICTIONARY on mr. buffetts great experience. Its very well organised, so tht finding key topics is very easy. Read more
Published on 31 July 2009 by A. Mukhanov
The Guru shines through!
This is an excellent down to earth discourse on Berkshire Hathaways business along with amusing asides. Read more
Published on 27 April 2009 by Mr. Graham Michie
Good content, annoying editing
Warren Buffett's insights are invaluable in any context, so this is no exception, hence the high rating. Here are essentially what seems to be some pretty old letters (1980s? Read more
Published on 8 Nov 2008 by Ms. J. Francis
The only authentic Buffett
Too many books contain the word Buffett in their title but only this book comes from the annual letters to shareholders. Read more
Published on 4 Mar 2008 by De Salvo Domenico
Prominent name, bad book
This book tells about company strategy of Berkshire Hathaway and the history of it. Very boring, nothing interesting to learn and badly written. Read more
Published on 30 Jan 2008 by D. Giediminas
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/02/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192198663_.gif){kind=small}
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
