Its combination of financial analysis, narrative and historical perspective make it a hugely valuable addition to the Buffett canon.

The question must be asked, ‘Why another book?’ When you read this monumental effort by Adam Mead, the answer will be obvious…read cover to cover, both the uninitiated to Berkshire and its most ardent followers will derive enormous utility and satisfaction from it…I learned so many new and important things about Berkshire and its history. It is my pleasure to encourage you to enjoy this gem.

If you are a value investor, a Berkshire Hathaway, or Warren Buffett fan, this book is the motherlode! The most comprehensive and detailed history of Berkshire Hathaway to date. A must-read that belongs on the bookshelf of any serious investor.

Few activities can be more rewarding for any value investor than studying the history and evolution of Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway. Adam has done us all a huge favor with his yeoman efforts in producing this treatise. Since it is chronologically ordered, it is an invaluable reference guide for all things Berkshire.

For students of history, especially the history of Berkshire Hathaway’s early days, Adam Mead’s book is a must read… It contains storied theft of intellectual property, occurring as early as 1789 when a certain Samuel Slater snuck out of England with knowledge of how to build a viable water-powered mill. It is a story of venture capital. “Financial backers in Pawtucket, Rhode Island” (including, none other than notorious financier, Hetty Green, a rich heiress to a new Bedford shipping fortune) provided venture capital funding for Slater’s business. It involves internet-like speedy growth, with 20 Slater-style mills dotting New England within just the first 20 years. Finally, it entails early versions of SPACs, then called “joint-stock corporations,” underwritten by wealthy Boston merchant, Francis Lowell. Adam commences his story with reference to an entrenched dominant nation, in this case England, worried about their loss of global standing to the upstart, United States, through both fair competition and through America’s use of stolen technology. Sound familiar?

With this project, Adam has a done a wonderful job extending the Berkshire Classroom by providing a comprehensive analysis of the rich corporate history and unique entrepreneurial leadership.

Like Adam, we appreciate the history of Berkshire Hathaway. I and my teammates at the Gabelli Organization have been tracking Warren’s success for some 50 years. . . I first learned of him while at Columbia Business School taking Security Analysis from Roger Murray, who succeeded Graham & Dodd. I got to focus on what Warren Buffett was investing in when I covered Pinkerton’s, Burn’s Detective and Wackenhut, that is business service companies. I noticed how astute he was buying cash flow entities that had some inflation indexing and tax advantages as a shareholder. Fast forward, we have been attending meetings in Omaha for over two decades. We also bought stock in two of our Funds that were initially launched in the mid 80’s – Gabelli Equity Trust (a Closed End Fund) and the Gabelli Asset Fund (an Open End Fund). Adam captures the work and highlights the history of Berkshire and the hard and diligent work of Buffett and Munger.