Tom's been busy reading during his recovery from surgery (we've taken away his laptop, but we can't take away his library).

He recently dusted off Roger Lowenstein's book, Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist, and added it to our list of Must Reads on Investing. Here's his synopsis:

Since this is an older book, I wanted to re-read it before I put it on our reading list. Having done that, I couldn’t recommend this Buffett biography highly enough. As with the other Lowenstein book on the list (When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management), this book is an effortless read. I particularly liked the early background on Buffett after he left Ben Graham and began to forge his own way. The intellect and discipline he demonstrated at a young age helped me put his Berkshire Hathaway accomplishments in perspective. At the end of the book, Lowenstein takes the reader through how Buffett put his reputation on the line during the Salomon Brothers decline (and turnaround). It served as a spine tingling crescendo to a terrific book.