When work is the best fun

Understanding the inner workings of a genius is no easy task, but journalist Carol Loomis comes very close by selecting articles from Fortune magazine that mention billionaire Warren Buffett and a dozen others written by Buffett himself, including excerpts from a letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders. *When Work Is the Best Play* (BestBusiness Publishing) brings together forty texts revealing the personality and business approach of one of the world's richest men. A friend of Buffett's for several decades and a senior editor at Fortune, Carol selected and added revealing commentary on his investment techniques, as well as his views on management, philanthropy, public policy, and even child-rearing. Among the texts in the book are Buffett's stunning 2003 prediction of the derivatives crisis that crashed the markets in 2008; his unusual thoughts on inheritance and philanthropy, including his decision not to leave his immense fortune to his children; and Bill Gates's 1996 article about the Microsoft founder's first impressions of Buffett and how the two billionaires began a lasting friendship. The central part of the book begins with a 1988 profile by Carol Loomis. The article "The Inside Story of Warren Buffett" describes his addition of a second profession—business management—to his original profession as an investor, and then how he transformed Berkshire Hathaway into a massive force in corporate America. In 1965, when Warren took over, Berkshire was a New England textile mill—too small to be included on Fortune 500. Another section of the book is devoted exclusively to Coca-Cola, of which Berkshire Hathaway is a minority shareholder.