The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life
Warren Buffett turned down every biographer who ever approached him, until he met Alice Schroeder. In this #1 New York Times bestseller, Schroeder delivers the only authorized biography of the legendary "Oracle of Omaha," written with his full cooperation and unprecedented access.
Schroeder spent over 2,000 hours reading Buffett's personal files while interviewing Buffett, his wife, children, sisters, friends, and business associates.
Before she began writing, Buffett told her he would not ask for any revisions once the book was finished and, where accounts of his life differed, to always use the "less flattering version."
Even as a child, Buffett 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.
The Snowball reveals the emotional toll exacted by Buffett's devotion to his work, and the emotional rewards he has reaped through philanthropic strategies that have sparked a radical new vision of the purpose of wealth in the world.
Named one of the ten best books of the year by Time Magazine, People Magazine, and The New York Times, The Snowball was also selected as the best book of 2008 by The Washington Post, the Financial Times, BusinessWeek, and Publishers Weekly.
Whether you're an aspiring investor, an entrepreneur, or simply curious about one of America's most remarkable success stories, this book offers an intimate portrait of the man behind the legend.
Interesting Facts
Buffett Picked His Own Biographer: Warren Buffett personally selected Alice Schroeder to write his authorized biography after being impressed by her insurance industry research. She was the only Wall Street analyst he would speak to for six years before he approached her about the project.
Over 2,000 Hours of Access: Schroeder spent more than 2,000 hours reading through Buffett's personal files, interviewing him, his family, friends, and business associates. This level of access was unprecedented and will likely never be matched.
The "Less Flattering Version" Rule: Buffett gave Schroeder a remarkable instruction. Whenever two versions of a story conflicted, she should always use the less flattering one about him. This shows extraordinary humility and courage for an authorized biography.
A Wall Street Analyst Turned Author: Before writing the book, Schroeder was the number one ranked insurance analyst by Institutional Investor in 2001 and 2002. She left her managing director position at Morgan Stanley in 2003 to write the book full time.
Nearly 1,000 Pages Long: The hardcover edition contains approximately 960 pages, with over 800 pages of text plus 90 pages of notes. Some editions list the book at around 838 pages excluding notes. It contains roughly 204,000 words.
A Publishing Phenomenon: The book debuted at number one on The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. Multiple major publications named it the best book of 2008, including The Washington Post, Financial Times, BusinessWeek, and Publishers Weekly.
Five Years in the Making: Schroeder spent approximately five years researching and writing the biography. She moved to Omaha to work on the book and devoted herself entirely to understanding Buffett's complex life and philosophy.
Award Recognition: The book was shortlisted for the 2008 Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award and the 2009 Gerald Loeb Award for distinguished business journalism. Time, People, and The New York Times all named it one of the ten best books of 2008.
More Than Investment Advice: Critics noted the book focuses heavily on Buffett's personal life and character development rather than detailed investment analysis. The Economist pointed out that readers seeking investment strategies should read Buffett's own essays and annual reports instead.
Amazon's Top Business Book: The Snowball was named Amazon.com's best business and investing book of 2008. It became a number one international bestseller and remained on bestseller lists for more than three months after publication.
Quotes
"Intensity is the price of excellence." - Warren Buffett
"You cannot be sure of anything. You have to think about things that have never happened before. You always want to have plenty of money around." - Warren Buffett
"I learned that it pays to hang around with people better than you are, because you will float upward a little bit. And if you hang around with people that behave worse than you, pretty soon you'll start sliding down the pole. It just works that way." - Warren Buffett
"Everybody wants attention and admiration. Nobody wants to be criticized. The sweetest sound in the English language is the sound of a person's own name." - Warren Buffett
"You'd get very rich if you thought of yourself having a card with only twenty punches in a lifetime, and every financial decision used up one punch. You'd resist the temptations to dabble. You'd make more good decisions and you'd make more big decisions." - Warren Buffett
"The business schools reward difficult complex behavior more than simple behavior, but simple behavior is more effective." - Warren Buffett
"The more you give love away, the more you get." - Warren Buffett
"Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful." - Warren Buffett
"You should never, when facing some unbelievable tragedy, let one tragedy increase into two or three through your failure of will." - Warren Buffett
"You can't do well in investing unless you think independently. And the truth is, you are neither right nor wrong because people agree with you. You're right because your facts and reasoning are right." - Warren Buffett
"The ideal business is one that earns very high returns on capital and that keeps using lots of capital at those high returns. That becomes a compounding machine." - Warren Buffett
"Life is like a snowball, all you need is wet snow and a really long hill." - Warren Buffett
"If you don't find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die." - Warren Buffett
"The big question about how people behave is whether they've got an Inner Scorecard or an Outer Scorecard. It helps if you can be satisfied with an Inner Scorecard." - Warren Buffett
Ratings & Reviews
What do you think?
There are no reviews yet. Be the first one to write one.