Routines and Orgies: The Life of Peter Cundill, Financial Genius, Philosopher, and Philanthropist

by Christopher Risso-gill

Peter Cundill (1938-2011) was highly regarded as one of the greatest value investors of his time, but he was also a teacher and mentor who was generous with his knowledge and shared the wealth of his experience with many aspiring investors. He was taken with Aldous Huxley's words that the "rhythm of human life is routine punctuated by orgies," and spent his life shaking off the quotidian tasks that dulled thought and striving for the excitement of new experiences. Supported by four decades of Cundill's meticulously kept daily journals, which are intimate, frank, self-admonishing, and confessional, Routines and Orgies covers all aspects of what Cundill referred to as his "wonderful life" - commercial, artistic, romantic, and adventurous. As he would have wished, the exposure of his investment approach has been carefully continued in this biography by close friend and confidant Christopher Risso-Gill, who initially explored Cundill's professional life in There's Always Something to Do. Routines and Orgies acquaints the reader with a generous and complex man. Spanning over seventy years, and covering most corners of the globe, it is a tale of hard-won professional development and extraordinary challenges faced and survived. Although not meant to be an investment manual, those seeking perspective from an expert mind in finance will find a great deal in its pages.

Genres: Finance

452 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2014

Reviews

[Alex Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aside from having one of the great titles for an investor's biography, Routines and Orgies is a wonderful read. The author was a personal and professional acquaintance of Peter Cundill, a dyed-in-the-wool value investor who specialised in net-net investing. Replete with excerpts from the daily journal that Cundill kept for over 40 years, the book therefore provides the reader with contemporaneous analysis of several critical junctures in economic history. As someone who had no idea about Cundill before this book, perhaps most surprising to me was the philosophical depth contained within. Cundill read widely and through his diaries there is lucid commentary on the nature of life and relationships, where, despite his own eccentricities, there is much to be learned.

[Pablo Castro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing biography of one of the most influential investors in Canada. Apart from the title, which can be distracting, this is a great book. This book was made from daily journal entries Peter made over more than 50 years of journaling, spanning more than 300 notebooks in all. It provides unique and unfiltered glimpses into history that go in depth into Peter's psychology and life.

[Alexander Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing tale of a true investment genius, his personal life, his travels and the people he knew. Well worth the read.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing tale of the true investment genius, his travels, his life, and friends that he knew. Well worth the read.