We wish to thank first and foremost Warren Buffett. Although he did not participate in the writing of this book, we are forever indebted to him for his wisdom and generosity. His genius as an investor is overshadowed only by his philanthropy, which will provide future generations with the benefits of his investing passion.
We would also like to thank our publisher and editor, Roz Lippel at Scribner. She is the best in the business and always a joy to work with.
We owe special debts of gratitude as well to: our past publisher, Eleanor Rawson, who helped us conceive the Buffettology series of investment books and who taught us the craft of book-making; the amazing Cindy Connolly Cates, who edited our earlier drafts; Richard Fischer for being a saint; and Fritz Perlberg for knowing what a true friend is.
Many people have further educated us in the world of investments and business. Among the notables are: money manager and author Timothy P. Vick, one of the great minds of a new generation; the late Rose Blumkin, founder of the Nebraska Furniture Mart, who gave us a lesson in how to “make a business” in furniture and carpet (no better teacher ever lectured at Harvard); Barnett C. Helzberg, Jr., the former CEO of Helzberg Diamonds, for writing What I Learned Before I Sold to Warren Buffett, one of the all-time great books on retailing and a must-read for any serious student of business; and author and historian Andrew Kilpatrick, whose books are mandatory reading for any Buffettologist.
We also owe a tremendous debt to the past deans of the investment world: Bernard Baruch, Philip Fisher, Walter Schloss, and Benjamin Graham. These are the giants upon whose shoulders we stand.
Most important, we wish to thank the gallant Sam Haygood and the enchanting Kate Clark, both of whom make life wonderful.