The Berkshire Book

For the first time the complete financial history of Berkshire Hathaway is available under one cover in chronological format. Beginning at the origins of the predecessor companies in the textile industry, the reader can examine the development of the modern-day conglomerate year-by-year and decade-by-decade, watching as the struggling textile company morphs into what it has become today. This comprehensive analysis distils over 10,000 pages of research material, including Buffett’s Chairman’s letters, Berkshire Hathaway annual reports and SEC filings, annual meeting transcripts, subsidiary financials, and more. The analysis of each year is supplemented with Buffett’s own commentary where relevant, and examines all important acquisitions, investments, and other capital allocation decisions. The appendices contain balance sheets, income statements, statements of cash flows, and key ratios dating back to the 1930s, materials brought together for the first time. The structure of the book allows the new student to follow the logic, reasoning, and capital allocation decisions made by Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger from the very beginning. Existing Berkshire shareholders and long-time observers will find new information and refreshing analysis, and a convenient reference guide to the decades of financial moves that built the modern-day respected enterprise that is Berkshire Hathaway.

Berkshire Hathaway, the $300 billion conglomerate that Warren Buffett built, is among the worldÕs largest and most famous corporations. Yet, for all its power and celebrity, few people understand Berkshire, and many assume it cannot survive without Buffett. This book proves that assumption wrong. In a comprehensive portrait of the distinct corporate culture that unites and sustains BerkshireÕs fifty direct subsidiaries, Lawrence A. Cunningham unearths the traits that assure the conglomerateÕs perpetual prosperity. Riveting stories recount each subsidiaryÕs origins, triumphs, and journey to Berkshire and reveal the strategies managers use to generate economic value from intangible values, such as thrift, integrity, entrepreneurship, autonomy, and a sense of permanence. Rich with lessons for those wishing to profit from the Berkshire model, this engaging book is a valuable read for entrepreneurs, business owners, managers, and investors, and it makes an important resource for scholars of corporate stewardship. General readers will enjoy learning how an iconoclastic businessman transformed a struggling shirt company into a corporate fortress destined to be his lasting legacy.

Das einzige Buch, das einen der geheimnisvollsten Anleger im Investmentgeschaft portratiert: Charlie Munger - der Kopf, der hinter Investmentguru Warren Buffett stand. Geschrieben von Janet Lowe, beruhmte Autorin der WILEY Speaks-Bestsellerreihe. Sie hat hier eine faszinierende Verbindung von Geschaftsphilosophie, und Biographie geschaffen, eine einzigartige Kombination aus Mungers Witz, Humor, Know-How und Erfolg. Offenbart werden auch die Taktiken und Techniken dieses wenig bekannten, aber au?erst einflu?reichen Finanzgenies und Lehrmeisters von Warren Buffett. Ein Buch zum Verschenken schon!

From the Connecticut border south of great Great Barrington to Pittsfield and North Adams in the north, the Berkshires' finest landscape photographer captures the region's full-color glory.

Margin of Trust is the first book to distill Warren Buffett's approach to management and corporate life. It provides a definitive analysis of the tenets of the Berkshire Hathaway, system, its costs and benefits, and how it can be adapted for other organizations.

Prize-winning biographer Leo Damrosch tells the story of “the Club,” a group of extraordinary writers, artists, and thinkers who gathered weekly at a London tavern In 1763, the painter Joshua Reynolds proposed to his friend Samuel Johnson that they invite a few friends to join them every Friday at the Turk’s Head Tavern in London to dine, drink, and talk until midnight. Eventually the group came to include among its members Edmund Burke, Adam Smith, Edward Gibbon, and James Boswell. It was known simply as “the Club.” In this captivating book, Leo Damrosch brings alive a brilliant, competitive, and eccentric cast of characters. With the friendship of the “odd couple” Samuel Johnson and James Boswell at the heart of his narrative, Damrosch conjures up the precarious, exciting, and often brutal world of late eighteenth-century Britain. This is the story of an extraordinary group of people whose ideas helped to shape their age, and our own.

Warren Buffett is a legend primarily for his investment philosophy. He isn’t concerned about the intricacies of the market, but instead focuses on the quality of the companies Berkshire Hathaway stands behind. Yet we know little about the leaders of the companies that Buffett handpicks. In Behind the Berkshire Hathaway Curtain: Lessons from Warren Buffett’s Top Business Leaders, author Ronald W. Chan — founder and CEO of Chartwell Capital — offers a behind-the-scenes look into the careers of Berkshire Hathaway executives who have both directly and indirectly contributed to the conglomerate’s success. Drawing on exclusive interviews from Berkshire leaders, Chan vividly describes how an exceptional group of managers has built a culture of achievement. With a keen eye for detail, he shows how their lessons can be applied for career success and personal fulfillment. Brimming with practical advice, the book will appeal to both executives and employees wanting to improve their leadership skills and work performance. Covering the career and life decisions of David Sokol of MidAmerican Energy, Cathy Baron-Tamraz of Business Wire, Dennis Knautz of Acme Brick, Randy Watson of Justin Brands, Stan Lipsey of Buffalo News, and many more, the book offers a wide range of business insights, philosophies, and strategies directly from leaders at the top of their fields.

Warren E. Buffett first took control of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., a small textile company, in April of 1965. A share changed hands for around $18 at the time. Fifty letters to shareholders later, the same share traded for $226,000, compounding investor capital at just under 21% per year-a multiplier of 12,556 times. This book compiles the full, un-edited versions of 50 years of Warren Buffett's letters to the shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway. In addition to providing an astounding case study on Berkshire's success, Buffett shows an incredible willingness to share his methods and act as a teacher to his many students. There are hundreds of books about Buffett's life, advice, and methods. These are his actual letters -- word for word -- a "lesson plan" of his views on business and investing. You can find most of the letters for free on Berkshire's website, but this compiles them into a well-designed, easily readable format. Features of the book: 50 years of Warren Buffett's letters to the shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway (769 pages), including 1965-1976 letters not available on Berkshire's website Tabulated letter years so you can easily flip to the desired letter Topics index Company index Person index Charts of: Growth in Berkshire's book value and market price relative to benchmarks, Insurance float and performance, the operating businesses of Berkshire