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The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life |  | Author: Alice Schroeder
Publisher: Bloomsbury UK
List Price: $41.63
Buy New: $23.17
as of 11/22/2009 12:08 CST details
You Save: $18.46 (44%)
New (18) Used (18) Collectible (4) from $14.73
Seller: booksetsplus
Rating:  205 reviews
Sales Rank: 1136195
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 976
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.7
Dimensions (in): 9.5 x 6.2 x 2.3
ISBN: 0747591911
Dewey Decimal Number: 332.6092
EAN: 9780747591917
ASIN: 0747591911
Publication Date: June 30, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Shortlisted for the Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Prize 2008 The Snowball is the first and will be the only biography of the world's richest man, Warren Buffett, written with his full cooperation and collaboration. Combining a unique blend of "The Sage of Omaha's" business savvy, life story and philosophy, The Snowball is essential reading for anyone wishing to discover and replicate the secrets of his business and life success. Warren Buffett is arguably the world's greatest investor. Even as a child he 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 - a feat never equalled in the annals of business. Despite an estimated net worth of around US$62 billion, Buffett leads an intriguingly frugal life taking home a salary of only GBP50,000 a year. His only indulgence is a private jet, an extravagance he wryly acknowledges by calling it "The Indefensible". In 2006, he made the largest charitable donation on record, with most of it going to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Snowball provides a comprehensive, richly detailed insight one of the world's most extraordinary and much loved public figures.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 205
 My 2 key takeaways October 27, 2009
Mokwit (Thailand)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
For me the value of this was:
1) A portrit of somebody who realised he did not fit the profile for success in the corporate world and focused on what did fit his profile i.e. investing, which drew on his strengths without being hampered by his weaknesses. Inspirational.
2) The description of his time working under Graham, in combination with reading between the lines of what Graham himself wrote, allowed me to confirm to my own satisfaction that my understanding of how Graham really operated was correct. Got you, you old fox. (Graham tells you indirectly, but you have to read between the lines from the standpoint of having knowledge in that area already to pick up what he is saying, as the 'tells' are very subtle).
Financial Secrets Revealed! October 26, 2009
Victor Sidhu (Santa Monica, CA)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
Most readers of books about famous wealthy titans seek a path to their own personal financial success. Maybe Alice Schroeder's story of a wealthy Warren Buffett can reveal how-to-do-it? Snowball delivers! But unless you are already a self-made rich person, you are likely to miss, ignore, or reject Buffett's advice. It seems too simple, too obvious. For example, Buffett counsels investment in common stocks, held over time, but not as an active investor. Avoid market timing and high fees. Just invest in a low-cost stock index fund whenever you have spare cash. Leave it alone. Let it compound. Don't borrow. Sound familiar? Sounds just like Jack Bogle of Vanguard fame. While you are investing, Buffett reminds you to invest in yourself with training and education, and only work for someone or a firm that you truly admire.
Then, for success in the business world, Buffett (and Gates) recommend "focus". "Intensity is the price of excellence". Buffett offers six principles: 1) avoid broken promises, 2) avoid burned bridges (don't show rancor, you can always tell them to go to hell later), 3) avoid confrontation, don't criticize, 4) allies are essential, 5) commitments are sacred, so should be rare, 6) grandstanding accomplishes nothing.
So there you have all the secrets for success. Readers may be a tad disappointed, but there is plenty more in Alice's tome to enjoy (960 pages including 121 pages of notes). She uses a fun and easy construction of exposition with large font, short chapters and lots of interesting examples and tales. She exhibits a brilliant power of description, not only of Buffett but also of how his family and contemporaries viewed the world of their time. She is a competent financial analyst, so you expect and she delivers cogent analysis based on documented interviews and facts. She also takes the time in her text and end-notes to explain many of the business terms and concepts Buffett employs. Some readers may find her story rambling. Be prepared to relax and enjoy her side tales. My only gripe is that she ends the book on a sour note. In the last three pages, she shifts to first person to reveal her subpoena from GeneralRe/AIG prosecutors. I'd rather end with a more pleasant picture of Warren riding off into a billionaire's sunset of foundation good works. [...]
The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life October 20, 2009
Katherine Norland (California)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This audio CD is well done, the reader of the book is every good at making you feel like it really is Warren talking at certain points. If you want to know all about Warren's life, this product is excellent. He was very vulnerabale in it, open and transparent; which was heart warming whether you agree with his choices and lifestyle or not. If you are hoping to gleen some sort of usable action plan to become rich like him, this is not the book for that, it's merely a life story.
Too huge, requires editing September 25, 2009
Patrick M
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
I was unable to finish the book, Its too huge. Some information kept repeating itself. It was interesting read, but not good enough to keep me hooked to finish this book. A good editor and a condensed version will do a fine job. And I don't like the rough cut!
 Best Business Biography I Have Read So Far... September 10, 2009
Cheow Yu Yuan (Singapore)
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
I was attracted to The Snowball because of 2 factors:
1) It was about Warren Buffet, the world's greatest businessman and investor.
2) The phrase "Life is like a snowball. The important thing is finding wet snow and a really long hill" at the back of the book. This phrase is worth a million dollar!
For the price of $23.10, this book is definitely worth buying. It is 838 pages long and it detailed some of the best business ideas that Warren Buffet had implemented throughout his life.
If you are looking for a good read on business biography, The Snowball is the one to go for.
Ian Cheow.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 205
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