The Essays of Warren Buffett : Lessons for Corporate America (Paperback)

by Warren E. Buffett (Author), Lawrence A. Cunningham

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 classic of value investing." -- The Financial Times, June 23, 2000

"A classic on value investing and the definitive source on Buffett." -- The Financial Times

"Cunningham has done a super job. This is the book on Buffett." -- Forbes

"Cunningham's Buffett Essays ranked #2 in 'The Top Seven Investing Books of All Time'" -- The Motley Fool, November 7, 2000

"Cunningham's Buffett Essays ranked #3 on JP Morgan's 10-book list of "Summer Must-Reads for Millionaires" -- The Wall Street Journal, July 6, 2000, Front Page,

"Cunningham's Buffett Essays ranked #3 on JP Morgan's 10-book list of Summer 'Must-Reads for Millionaires'" -- The Wall Street Journal (Front Page)

"Extraordinary--full of wisdom, humor and common sense. By far the best window into the way Buffett's mind works." -- Money Magazine

Quoting Buffett: "Cunningham does a great job collating our philosophy. This is the one book to read." -- Outstanding Investor Digest