Tapdancing to Work

December 10, 2012
This fascinating collection presents a selection of articles about the financial mogul, many by Loomis and twelve12 by Buffett himself, published in Fortune Magazine from the time he first burst on the scene as a young financial genius up until today. As a longtime personal friend, she brings a unique perspective into his mindset, but readers will likely treasure Buffett's own insights most of all, such as his view of inheritance, reported in 1986: "To him the perfect amount to leave children is âenough money so they would feel they could do anything, but not so much that they could do nothing.'" More recently, in 2010, he explained, "My wealth has come from a combination of living in America, some lucky genes, and compound interest. Both my children and I won what I call the ovarian lottery." His common sense and wry humor can be appreciated by everyone, but investors will be especially intrigued by gems like this explanation of Berkshire Hathaway's management philosophy: "We want people to join us because they want to be with us until they die." Loomis has created an engaging picture of a great influencer of our time. Agent: Tracy Brown, Tracy Brown Literary.

November 15, 2012
A collection of articles on economics and investing from and about one of the wealthiest men in the world. "In 1966 he was the proprietor of an unfamous hedge fund, Buffett Partnership Ltd., and the controlling shareowner and de facto CEO of a small New England textile company, Berkshire Hathaway, with $49 million in annual revenues," writes Fortune senior editor at large Loomis, as she discusses more than 80 articles covering the investing history of Warren Buffett. "By 2011, Berkshire was No. 7 in the Fortune 500, with $144 billion in revenues." Serious investors as well as those interested in the history of Berkshire Hathaway and the philanthropic ideas of Buffett will enjoy these revealing pieces extracted from the Fortune archives. Having written many of the original articles herself, Loomis offers new insights into the various phases and actions of her close personal friend. Chronologically arranged, the commentaries begin in 1966, when Buffett was first mentioned in Fortune (an article in which his name was misspelled) and move through his latest thoughts and actions on philanthropy based on a dinner held for the uber-rich in 2010. The editor also includes an excerpt from the 2012 version of the annual letter to shareholders. Several of the pieces are written by Buffett, providing readers with personal insights from one of the greatest investors in history, and one piece by Bill Gates illuminates how these two men can look at the same idea from totally different angles--not only between themselves, but different from the rest of the world as well. Although a bit dry in places for general readers, Fortune subscribers and those interested in investing will enjoy this multifaceted, well-balanced compilation.

COPYRIGHT(2012) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.