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Poor Charlie’s Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger

Charles T. Munger (ed. Peter D. Kaufman)

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Founder connections

  • Daniel EkFavorite book
    Ek lists the book among his favorites on One Grand. The attached cover identifies the expanded third edition. His exact copy and printing are not identified; completed reading is not claimed.
    Source
  • Edward O. ThorpRecommended
    UCI Libraries records Thorp recommending the collection for mental tools and incentives. Its sheet lists a second edition; this link reuses the existing expanded third edition of the full work, not the later condensed edition. His exact copy is unknown.
    Source
  • Patrick CollisonRated particularly great on his bookshelf
    The original bookshelf marks this title in bold and links ISBN157864366X, the expanded third edition. His owned-book catalog says only about half its books were read; this is a favorite rating, not proof of completed reading.
    Source

Summary

This record is the expanded third edition of Poor Charlie’s Almanack, published by Donning in 2008 and edited by Peter D. Kaufman. It brings together Munger’s talks, lectures and public commentary, with a foreword by Warren Buffett.

The collection moves between business, investing and questions about living well. Munger argues for learning widely, working within what you understand and examining problems from more than one direction. The talks use examples and repeated ideas to make judgment a practice that readers can improve over time.

  • SourcePCA Publications: Poor Charlie’s Almanack, Expanded Third Edition · Expanded Third Edition heading; Buffett foreword attribution; compilation description; February2010 letter reference
  • SourceOpen Library: Donning expanded third edition · Expanded third edition; Publish Date2008; Donning Company; Edition Identifiers ISBN9781578645015
  • SourceFounders #90: Charlie Munger (Poor Charlie’s Almanack) · September22,2019; opening title; notes on inversion, better tools, competence and lifelong reading

Why read it Our view

Read it to examine how you make decisions before you look for another clever tactic. Inversion means starting with how a plan could fail, then checking those paths. That is useful when choosing partners, shaping incentives or deciding which opportunities to refuse. The book’s broad approach also gives you a way to notice when one favorite idea is doing too much of the work. Apply the questions to your own evidence; do not turn its maxims into rules that fit every case.

Written about

  • Charlie MungerCollected talks and commentary
    The Donning expanded third edition (2008), edited by Peter D. Kaufman, collects Munger’s talks and commentary.
    Source
  • Warren BuffettForeword contributor
    Buffett contributes the foreword and compares Munger’s advice with Benjamin Franklin’s.
    Source