Pilgrimage to Warren Buffett's Omaha: A Hedge Fund Manager's Dispatches from Inside the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting

Excellent bird's eye view by someone with an interest. I have 50 shares of Berkshire B. Never go to a meeting, because I save the money for another share. There's always a lot written about the meetings. But this was like I was there. He even complained accurately about his rent car and trying to get something to eat. Just like I envisioned visiting anywhere with a sudden influx of 30K people. Good read.

This book is a very good synopsis of the experience of attending a Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting. It is a relatively quick and easy read, but Matthews does not skimp on details or impressions. The first half of the book covers the 2007 annual meeting. Matthews spends time setting the scene for a few chapters. His descriptions of the people, sites, and sounds bring the experience to life. His casual observations like his frustration with airlines and US car makers add to the story without derailing it. As the meeting starts, he provides stories about some the questions and answers. He shows the utmost respect for Buffett's ability and willingness to take any and all questions. He also points out that many of the questions have little to do with Berkshire's business, a theme that continues in the second half of the book that covers the 2008 meeting. Matthews's respect for Buffett shines through during the entire book. However, it is not idol worship. Matthews points out when Buffett dodges a tough question and notes that some of the businesses like Nebraska Furniture Mart and See's Candies might be a lot bigger if they spent profits expanding rather than sending the money to Omaha. He also notes times where Buffett seems to contradict himself such as his love of meritocracy, but an infatuation with family run businesses. None of this is too critical, but Matthews at least gets the reader to think more critically about things. I enjoyed the book. I attended the 2008 meeting and reading this book and Matthews's blog enhanced the experience. The book tells the story of trips to two meetings, but is also full of background information. Matthews did his homework by reading many books and interviews and it shows as he can tie parts of the meeting's Q & A session to actions and statements in the past. I highly recommend this book if you plan to visit a future annual meeting or if you want to know what it is like to attend one.

Every year, I read the Q & A of BRK Annual Meeting done by various nice people sharing their experiences in Omaha. To be frank, not all Q & A are that easy to understand without knowing the history and background of those subjects and this book supplements those history, ideas and background for newbie like me. Everyone will surely learn from that and this is so enjoyable. Sometimes, I have this question come to my mind - `Why Warren and Charlie like to answer questions from different people on different subjects and share their successful ideas and thoughts with the other?' Having read the Q & A for years and the book, I think what Warren and Charlie try to EDUACATE us their values towards money, life, friends, rationality, thoughts, integrity, giving-away, etc. Years gone by, we could observe more and more talent value investors appears and found successful, such as Seth Klarman (I treat him as third generation). More and more people invest intelligently, behave more rationally and act positively. Warren and Munger are actually creating a group of rational intelligent people with handful gunpowder (money). To me, I think this group of people will grow larger and eventually change the world in way which leads us to a better world. It is a kind of cult. Personally, from the Q & A and the book, it gives me the opportunity to stand down, read and think about the heroes/books that Munger introduced - like Benjamin Frank, John Rockefellers (esp. his Dear Father/Dear Son letters), Darwin, Richard Dawkins, etc. They change the way how I think, I behave. Thanks Munger for giving me the opportunity to meet these great men despite the fact that some of them are gone.

Pilgrimage to Warren Buffet's Omaha matches Roger Lowenstein's standard setting Buffett biography in terms of taking a clear-headed look at, to use the cliche, the man and the myth. Written in a breezy style that makes this an easy and delightful weekend read, Mr. Matthews leverages his years of Wall Street experience to insightfully illustrate, illuminate and at times question both the style and the substance of the Buffett/Munger team, cleary the most succesful investors of our, or probably any, day. The author's distillation of both the Buffett/Munger investment thesis and approach makes for a wonderful primer on the theory and practice of investing in the stock market. This book sits squarely at the intersection of great fun to read and thoroughly enlightening.

I found this book to be an enjoyable read that, unlike Snowball, kept my attention straight through. I enjoyed Jeff Matthews' insight into the mind and personality of the "Oracle of Omaha". I would recommend this book to anyone - from wall street hotshots to young professionals just starting out. Jeff also provides an in-depth look into the incredible following that hangs on Warren's every word... a comprehensive account that I had yet to see in previous Buffett books. I would also suggest checking out his blog - I've been an avid reader of it since early 2006 and have enjoyed the majority of his posts. Like the book, Jeff's posts are full of his wit and astute perspective.