Running Money added to the New York Times Business Best Seller list
Running Money named Barron's Best Books of 2004
Running Money
* New York Times,
Paul Brown. "The bumps along the path to riches, as described by Mr.
Kessler, give the book a seemingly endless string of humorous stories
about hedge funds. In fact, the book's tone is so engaging and the
stories come so fast that they almost obscure what Mr. Kessler has
accomplished here. Mr. Kessler has written an entertaining business
book, in which it is more than possible to learn something. That is a
rare combination." Read the entire review here.
* Barron's,
Jay Palmer. "Running Money by Andy Kessler is a lively read that
succeeds in pulling back the shades on the world of hedge funds and
hedge fund-honchos. Kessler, who co-founded Velocity Capital Management
in the mid-1990's, is a born storyteller and the book is filled with
his stories -- of people and deals, and more people and more deals." Read the entire article here.
* USA Today,
Kerry Hannon. "Kessler captures the bizarre world of investing from his
own quirky seat at the party. He's sarcastic, cynical and sometimes
hung over. He takes shots at how fellow investors dress, talk and, oh
yes, invest. He squeezes you past Armani suits and orange juice
droolers at zoolike conferences where too many people are chasing too
few companies."
* Financial Times, David Wells. "Andy Kessler's entertaining memoir will become required reading in the financial community. Kessler is a breezy, conversational - often sarcastic - writer. His prose is perfect for reading on an aeroplane. Pretend you are sitting in first class having the type of surprisingly interesting, getting-to-know-you conversation that Kessler had with a rich man from Switzerland who not only invested in his hedge fund, but taught him how to run it as well." Read the entire review here.
* Star Telegram/Knight Ridder, Cecil Johnson "A book about hedge funds, which require an investment of at least $1 Million, might not attract a wide audience. But this book is studded with so much wit and so many interesting profiles, historical observations and thought provoking ideas that it is worth anyone's investment in the time to read it."Read the entire review here.
* Steve Forbes, President & CEO/Editor-In-Chief - Forbes. "Another Kessler KO. Lively writing about stocks, foreign trade, economics and other topics that wise investors will take to heart. In fact, civilization would be well served if Kessler rewrote economic textbooks - then they'd be read and understood and impart correct principles for producing prosperity."
* Philadelphia Inquirer, Joseph N. DiStefano. "Running Money shares the quick-hit strengths of Kessler's previous work. His glib prose speeds some dry history, Running Money is a rolling book-length version of Kessler's newspaper columns, which snipe at big media and software companies and anyone else he suspects of trying to slow the would-be relentless efficiency of the free markets."
* John Mauldin, Investors Insight. "Today we are going to look at a new book by a guy who definitely does not run with the herd. Indeed, he may be the anti-herd. Andy Kessler has just written Running Money about his days running what was the fourth most successful hedge fund for its time. He and a partner launched a Silicon Valley technology hedge fund in the mid-90's and began selling and taking profits in 1999. The book, like Kessler himself, is funny and irreverent. The Financial Times says this is going to be one of those books like Liar's Poker or Den of Thieves which is required reading for those in the industry. I agree. If you are in the game of running money, you gotta read this one. This should be required reading for brokers and advisors. Besides, it is a lot of fun."
* Wired Magazine, September 2004 "Right place, right time, right questions. That's the formula in this smart - and smart-ass - take on investing, a follow-up to 2003's Wall Street Meat. In 1993, Kessler quit Morgan Stanley and set up shop as a Silicon Valley hedge fund manager. Among his scores: Inktomi, RealNetworks, and a 400 percent return in 1999. Not just a macho rehash of the glory days, his lessons prove that a little skepticism goes a long way. - Thomas Goetz"
* Om Malik on Broadband, "Running Money is a perfect way to spend hot San Francisco afternoon, hiding in the shade, sipping the SPIN at Tully's. Took me precisely four hours to get through the book - and best four hours I spent in recent memory! if there was one book you were going to read to get a bellyful of laughs, some tears and lots of education, pick up Running Money. And if you are a VC, think of it as a reminder of the collective stupidity of Silicon Valley. Every so often you come across a book, which gives you a reason to think. Andy Kessler's new book, Running Money is one of those." Read the entire review here.
* James J. Cramer, author of Confessions of a Street Addict and cohost of CNBC's Kudlow and Cramer. "No one ever lets you be a fly on the wall in their hedge fund! These stories will shock you - and make you laugh - as well as teach you about the industrial revolution, economics and technology. You don't find many books that are required reading at Harvard Business School that would also make a great beach read. Running Money is a must for both."
* Rich Karlgaard, publisher of Forbes and author of Life 2.0 "A joyful read, full of sass and irreverence, Andy Kessler chronicles his education from hedge fund rookie to ROI superstar. By the time he and a partner close their fund, it had reached $1 billion. With intellectual heft and money-making tips, it is sure to become and investment classic." Another review by Rich Karlgaard here.
* Mario Gabelli, chairman of Gabelli Asset Management "A great read. I can relate to the nits and grits of Running Money."
Wall Street Meat
* Michael Lewis, author of Liar's Poker, The New New Thing and Moneyball. "A deliciously naughty new book...I finished it in a gulp, perfectly astonished."
* George Gilder, author of Telecosm, Microcosm. "The most riotous, insightful, poignant, gossipy, and gallivanting book on Wall Street ever written."
* Rich Karlgaard, Publisher, Forbes Magazine. "Wall Street Meat is gripping...like watching the Zapruder film as opposed to reading the Warren report. I couldn't put it down...[It] is a page-turner, easily consumed in one New York-to-San Francisco plane ride. You'll laugh so hard you'll risk arrest by an air marshal."
* The Washington Post - Steven Pearlstein - The most insightful and readable inside look at the world of finance since Michael Lewis's "Liar's Poker." Rich in anecdote and told in a breezy, self-effacing voice, "Wall Street Meat" gives a historical account of how the industry's competitive dynamics gradually eroded its ethics by the time of the late-1990s mania.
* USA Today review - Barrington M. Salmon - In Andy Kessler's cheeky Wall Street Meat (new in paperback), we are seated in the front row of all the action, tension and chaos of the stock market during the Internet meltdown. If this were a prizefight, we'd be so close to the ring we'd get splattered with the fighters' blood and perspiration.
* James Cramer, Kudlow & Cramer, CNBC. "This book is a hoot."
* Bambi Francisco, CBS Marketwatch. "A fun read. Andy Kessler makes use of his pen, wit and cynical outlook."
* Rich Karlgaard Forbes - In 1829 the proprietors of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway held a contest to determine whether horses or locomotives could better transport industrial revolution goods. Andy Kessler tells the story in his wonderful book about innovation history, How We Got Here (Collins, 2005). "This was the drag race of the time," writes Kessler, "but with a real purpose, as many still believed that horses should pull trains on the line."
