The title of this remarkable biography refers to the ruling principle of Warren Buffett’s life, which comes down to compounding. Be it money, expertise or insight, any commodity can be acquired and increased, and Buffett understood this concept early.

By age 6, he was selling chewing gum door-to-door. By 14, as a paper boy, he filed his first tax return (deducting his watch and bicycle as expenses). At 15, Buffett ran a working tenant farm, and by the time he left high school, had earned $5,000 ($53,000 today).

Numerous books have been written about the Oracle of Omaha, but this smart, intimate bio—a real armful at 976 pages—has got to be the most revealing. Shaped by both the Great Depression and a cruelly abusive mother, Buffett was also blessed with an uncanny gift for numbers and analysis, and he loved making money. When Harvard turned him down, he went to Columbia, and there met his greatest mentor, Benjamin Graham. Graham’s formula for value investing was such an influence on Buffett, the tycoon later remarked, “I’m 85 percent Benjamin Graham.”

It requires commitment to tackle a book this size, but its subject’s unpredictable personality (plus a string of memorable quips) keep it entertaining. Schroeder’s clear breakdown of fiscal complexities makes it smooth going even for the business-impaired, and these days, everyone will value Buffett’s take on deregulation, government bailouts and the dangers of derivatives.

When Warren Buffett handpicked his biographer, he demanded a warts-and-all portrait. So the personal side is here, too, including his lifelong reliance on maternal women, his affair with Washington Post chief Kay Graham, and his two “wives” (actually, Buffett had one wife but maintained two households, an arrangement accepted by both women until his first wife’s death).

This is a riveting book about a man as eccentric as he is successful.    

By Maya Mariner