Buffett
by Roger Lowenstein · first published 1995
83% recommend8% neutral8% critical
Why HN recommends it
A biography of Warren Buffett's path to becoming an American capitalist. It is an insightful, thorough account for anyone studying Buffett or investing history.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Starting from scratch, simply by picking stocks and companies for investment, Warren Buffett amassed one of the epochal fortunes of the twentieth century - an astounding net worth of $10 billion, and counting. If you had been among the lucky few sitting in his study in Omaha at the start of his career in 1956, and had invested $10,000 with him and kept your money with him throughout, your original investment would be worth $80 million today. That awesome record has made him a cult figure popularly known for his seeming contradictions: a billionaire who has a modest lifestyle, a phenomenally s
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…that value investing is difficult (it's not, it's simultaneously the best approach for generating consistently high returns over time and very easy to learn). Here is what I point new investors to: - Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist, by Roger Lowenstein. - Margin of Safety, by Seth Klarman - The Little Book That Still Beats the Market, by Joel Greenblatt - Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits,…
on “Coinbase valued above $100B, ahead of direct listing” ↗The best book on investing that I've ever read is this one: http://www.amazon.com/Buffett-American-Capitalist-Roger-Lowe... It's a biography, but there are lots of anecdotes about specific analyses. Nobody can invest like Buffett, but just about everyone can benefit from reading about how…
on “Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?” ↗that and buffett has been outspoken against quants. he has also been accused of 'being in the right place at the right time' or 'lucky' quite a few times, but this is not the case. another good book on buffett which…
on “The Master of Money: "The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life" review” ↗http://www.amazon.com/Buffett-American-Capitalist-Roger-Lowe... This is the best business book I've ever read. Buffett is methodical, implacable, and brilliant -- but too smart to overthink anything. The nice thing about Buffett…
on “Ask HN: What's the best first business book for a programmer?” ↗A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist by Roger Lowenstein
on “Ask HN: Introductory Books on the Stock Market?” ↗Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist, by Roger Lowenstein. It ultimately led me down a path that changed a lot about how I approached investing, and how I perform value appraisal / how I view value…
on “Ask HN: Life Changing Books?” ↗Interesting that the review is by Roger Lowenstein: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Lowenstein I just finished his book on Buffett, which I wish I’d read 20 years ago.
on “How a Company Scammed Silicon Valley and How It Got Caught” ↗…them a mystery is explained, and a complex portrait of India's many faces is revealed. I have a soft spot for satirical Brit-novels, like Vanity Fair, The Way We Live Now, and Wodehouse. Biography Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist, by Roger Lowenstein. An insightful biography of the greatest living investor, or maybe of all time. Gates, by Manes and Andrews, is also very good. Science Dancing…
on “Ask HN: Good books?” ↗…(he's a bit player in American Gangster). It's a very 'pure' business, in the sense that you can quantify product quality directly. Founders at Work is also good. Lowenstein's hagiography of Warren Buffett is a great bio of a famous guy, but you should keep in mind that he did have some connections (and almost certainly would have succeeded even if he didn't).
on “What is the most inspiring biography of a successful man?” ↗…A Canticle for Leibowitz Neverwhere My Uncle Oswald Stories of Your Life and Others Invisible Cities Life of Pi Atlas Shrugged --- WALL STREET / FINANCE --- When Genius Failed Liar's Poker Buffett (Lowenstein) Bull! Black-Scholes and Beyond (textbook) Fixed Income Securities (textbook) The Road to Serfdom The Smartest Guys in the Room Fortune's Formula The Fourth Turning Inside the House…
on “Ask HN: Good books?” ↗…necessary for it, but that it made things afterward quite awkward. Kind of like seeing a close friend naked. Second the recommendation for that book. I like it better than the Lowenstein book, but any Buffett-head should read both, of course, as each has some details the other doesn't. I was also confused about the implications around Susie and just assumed that she had an affair with the tennis coach guy,…
on ““Becoming Warren Buffett,” the Man, Not the Investor” ↗Timely, as I am just finishing a study of Buffett. Some additional recommended reading about/by Buffett: Buffett's bio by Lowenstein, "Buffett: Making of an American Capitalist". A collection of Buffett's writings in: http://www.monitorinvestimentos.com.br/download/The%20Essays...
on “The Superinvestors of Graham-and-Doddsville (1984)” ↗…Menlo Park, by Stross. I Invented the Modern Age, by Snow. Dealers of Lightning, by Hiltzik. Margin of Safety, by Klarman. Masters of Doom, by Kushner. Andrew Carnegie, by Nasaw. Infidel, by Hirsi Ali. Buffett, by Lowenstein. Where Wizards Stay Up Late, by Hafner. Shoe Dog, by Knight. The Making of the Atomic Bomb, by Rhodes.
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?” ↗There aren't any formal rules that he lives and dies by, but read "Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist" by Lowenstein. Buffett -- or at least Lowenstein captures -- expresses concern for people buying before he does.
on “SoftBank unmasked as ‘Nasdaq whale’ that stoked tech rally” ↗Buffett and Berkshire in fact have a long history of intentionally not always seeking the maximization of profit. Read Lowenstein's Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist for several examples. Berkshire…
on “Berkshire: Bitcoin is ‘contrary to the interest of civilization.’” ↗