| The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life | 
 enlarge | Author: Alice Schroeder
Publisher: Bantam
Category: Book
List Price: $35.00
Buy New: $18.99
You Save: $16.01 (46%)
New (64) Used (13) Collectible (7) from $16.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  85 reviews
Sales Rank: 24
Format: Roughcut
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 976
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.7
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.7 x 2.2
ISBN: 0553805096
Dewey Decimal Number: 332.6092
EAN: 9780553805093
ASIN: 0553805096
Publication Date: September 29, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW 1st. QUALITY IN STOCK SHIPPED FAST FROM NC.
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Product Description
Here is THE book recounting the life and times of one of the most respected men in the world, Warren Buffett. The legendary Omaha investor has never written a memoir, but now he has allowed one writer, Alice Schroeder, unprecedented access to explore directly with him and with those closest to him his work, opinions, struggles, triumphs, follies, and wisdom. The result is the personally revealing and complete biography of the man known everywhere as “The Oracle of Omaha.”
Although the media track him constantly, Buffett himself has never told his full life story. His reality is private, especially by celebrity standards. Indeed, while the homespun persona that the public sees is true as far as it goes, it goes only so far. Warren Buffett is an array of paradoxes. He set out to prove that nice guys can finish first. Over the years he treated his investors as partners, acted as their steward, and championed honesty as an investor, CEO, board member, essayist, and speaker. At the same time he became the world’s richest man, all from the modest Omaha headquarters of his company Berkshire Hathaway. None of this fits the term “simple.”
When Alice Schroeder met Warren Buffett she was an insurance industry analyst and a gifted writer known for her keen perception and business acumen. Her writings on finance impressed him, and as she came to know him she realized that while much had been written on the subject of his investing style, no one had moved beyond that to explore his larger philosophy, which is bound up in a complex personality and the details of his life. Out of this came his decision to cooperate with her on the book about himself that he would never write.
Never before has Buffett spent countless hours responding to a writer’s questions, talking, giving complete access to his wife, children, friends, and business associates—opening his files, recalling his childhood. It was an act of courage, as The Snowball makes immensely clear. Being human, his own life, like most lives, has been a mix of strengths and frailties. Yet notable though his wealth may be, Buffett’s legacy will not be his ranking on the scorecard of wealth; it will be his principles and ideas that have enriched people’s lives. This book tells you why Warren Buffett is the most fascinating American success story of our time.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 80 more reviews...
 Nothing New November 23, 2008
The Buffett book was a disappointment. Very little new knowledge. Most of the book was either recapping things in earlier books or a play by play of daily life. Not worth the size or cost.
 Detailed - although excessive November 23, 2008
The Snowball is chronologically arranged and meticulously detailed. This makes the timeline of Warren Buffett's life sequential and easy to understand how he has evolved into the world's best investor.
The author has gone through what I think is a habit most writers have - of not throwing away anything from their years of researching a topic. Each and every detail of Buffett and his multiple friends and family members, makes for 300 pages more of what should have been a 500 page book. Some of this detail is helpful to understand the main subject's life and work, but the author seems to have included every last Post-it of information she has researched while working on this book.
However, as Buffett himself has spent 'countless' hours speaking and exchanging notes with the author, the result is a all-you-wanted-to-know-about Buffett - the human being behind the aura.
One other downside of this book is the adulatory manner of describing Buffett. "Sage", "Oracle", and many other words used regularly thoughout the book makes one think the author was worshipping the subject more than doing a critical analysis of his work and a non-judgemental analysis of his life. Even though Buffett had told the author to always use the less-flattering version of his life's experiences - this advice has been promptly discarded by the author.
300 pages lesser, less adulation and less of irrelevant details would have raised my ranking to 4 stars.
Left me sad and depressed November 23, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I thought the book was well written and very informative however; it left me feeling depressed and thankful for my life. It doesn't seem that Warren Buffett is really all THAT happy. He has many close friends and family but how close does he let them get? And the jab that is taken at his granddaughter is equally sad. If those children were adopted by Peter they are no longer step children but actual children. Not to mention they were an important part of Peter and Big Susie's life and that should carry some weight. The arrangement of all the women in his life is interesting to say the least. Susie appears to be a great giver but after watching the Charlie Rose interview and reading this book you realize how she manipulative she could be. To me, this book confirms two things: 1.) Money can't buy true happiness and 2.)Sometimes it is better to have an average IQ and be able to get one's own self dressed and to work.
 The SnowBall: Warren Buffet and the Business of Life November 22, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life
The book's presentation and bookbinding as supplied was completely unsatisfactory as the pages were unevenly put together in an uneven mess.
The content was compiled from over 1000 interviews and although interesting appeared like a documentary with little heart and soul. At times there was extensive detail about family connections without providing details of transactions involved and their intricacy. It did highlight some human frailties in Warren that is common in the life of an human being.
The return process did not allow for comment on such disastrous book binding on the book sold, that was utterly unsatisfactory and may mean I will look twice at any further purchases from Amazon.
 The best soap opera I've read.... November 19, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is a very enjoyable book, particularly for those hoping to get a "feel" for how Buffett has lived his life, over his many years.
What it WON'T do is go into any practical depth as to how he evaluates an investment decision. High-level generalities, yes, specifics, no.
Still, it's a great read. His early (9-13yrs old) business dealings.....his first stab at stock investing.....his first date.....etc.etc......on to the "lifestyles of the rich and famous" existence that he has enjoyed for probably 2 decades now. Hint: yes, he likes hamburgers, non-styling clothes, and his house in Omaha, but he also likes jet-setting and hanging out with the movers and shakers of the world. All while doing multi-billion-dollar-deals.
If you want to learn investing, go elsewhere.....unless you have never heard of "the power of compounding" or "buy with a margin of error" or "don't trade, buy and hold"....etc.
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