Interesting and Unique. Provides a large step to understanding the puzzle of this author

books:


	• Miles Gone By: A Literary Autobiography (with CD) William F. Buckley Jr. Regnery Publishing, Inc., 2004 - 256 pages average customer review:based on 25 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Requiem for a Heavyweight....

William F. Buckley Jr. is now in his 80's and visibly winding up his affairs of this world. National Review, the magazine of conservative opinion that he founded and led for half a century, has been turned over to newer hands. Blackford Oakes, hero of a series of spy novels, has been heroically killed off. His production of public commentary is down to a few columns per month. 2004's "Miles Gone By", subtitled "a literary autobriography", is of a piece with this process. It is a collection of essays from his writing lifetime, with items about his childhood, his education at Yale, his time in the Army, his adventures as a sailor, portraits of colleagues and friends, and a sampling of other topics.

Buckley has lived a fairly public life as an advocate for the Conservative point of view. "Miles Gone By" may therefore have no surprises for any future biographer. What the reader does find is William F. Buckley Jr at his finest, an educated and often witty observer of his world, pondering the moment and its meaning, finding delight in the skillful use of the English language. Also on display is Buckley's irreverance for the stuffy and the unsound. Highlights include a thoughtful essay on the 50th reunion of his Yale Class, a rueful account of an extended rail trip through Siberia, and brief sketches of his friendships with David Niven and Whittaker Chambers. An extended piece on "God and Man at Yale" recalls the book that started it all.

This book is highly recommended to fans of Mr. Buckley, who will enjoy this fine sampling of his work, perhaps the last to be put out by his own hand.

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Erudite. Urbane. Witty. Historical.

MILES GONE BY is a compilation of William F. Buckley essays, columns and anecdotes which tell the story of his life. His writings are so prolific that the better parts of his life had already been chronicled, by himself no less, prior to his death.

I began reading National Review in 1978 as a young liberal college student. Buckley was my cure for liberalism along with the practical demise of liberal theology under Carter. He was also a mentor and hero, of sorts, as the Reagan Era was ushered in and the world changed. I dug deep into Buckley's lore reading the Blackford Oakes novels, his journal at the United Nations, and his sailboat chronicles (AirBorne and Racing Through Paradise).

WFB was a classic conservative voice at a time when conservatism had few national voices. Goldwater, Reagan, Milton Friedman, Gingrich and others would emerge as leaders but Buckley was always the apologist for the right. His bully pulpits were the National Review and Firing Line television program. At times I wondered if he befriended people like John Kenneth Galbraith to keep them busy while conservatives were busily furthering their agenda.

Besides being the voice and conscience of the conservative movement in America, Buckley will be remembered for his civility. He was a gifted host and debater who confronted and entreated opponents with grace, tact, and utmost civility. He raised the national debate to a higher level of discourse.

America is poorer for his passing.

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Interesting and Unique. Provides a large step to understanding the puzzle of this author

"Miles Gone By" seems to be a near complete biography and one that allows the reader to see how the puzzle fits together. It would be easy to overlook the uniqueness of this life by labeling the author as mostly reflecting a political point of view. He has shown in many of his other books his diversity of interests and his ability to inform his readers about activities and the events taking place in the world at the same time. I remember in his book "Racing Through Paradise how much I learned about sailing and how interesting it was to consider his political points of view presented as a part of each days activities. Miles Gone By seems to show the many sides and interests of his life as pieces of puzzle that reveal more of who he really is. The story is not in his point of view but is more so in whom he really is.

A favorite chapter (2) was "God and Man at Yale" which was about his first book. I like to underline in red what stands out as I read and this chapter is mostly "red" in my book. In 1950 it was controversial to defend individualism, religion and capitalism. His education seemed to be, somewhat like his early life, one full of advantage and opportunity. Considering that it was even more of a surprise when he questioned the very mission of the institution he had been privileged to attend. He replied to his critics saying "a very recent graduate is not only supremely qualified, but uniquely qualified, to write about the ideological impact of an education he has experienced."

Later in the book he says that as a senior citizen his faith has never left him. Through out his life we find in this biography that he has held tight to his religious convictions. Considering the years his life has spanned in the political arena this willingness to proclaim his own faith is made even clearer in this book.

Both Buckley and Nixon have written about world leaders in a way that really adds to ones understanding of events. In many of Nixon's books those insights, even though insightful, seemed stand-alone. In this book many of the chapters deal with relationships but instead of standing alone as a subject for consideration they validate the unique impact that Buckley has had thorough out his life. This book will show you a very very interesting man.

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Interesting Read on a Conservative Icon

Miles Gone By is an account of the life of William Buckley, whom many see as a conservative icon. Buckley shares many facets of his interesting life, particularly the following:

1. Early childhood and close-knit family (I believe he was one of 10 children).
2. Memories of his father and mother both of who he loved dearly.
3. His years at Yale University and how the liberal bias drove him to write his book "God and Man at Yale".
4. Memories of the 1950 class at Yale.
5. His deep sea expedition to see the wreck of the Titanic.
6. His sailing and skiing trips with various celebrities.
7. Starting the National Review.
8. Relationships with 10 special people of various backgrounds and poltical persuasions (David Niven, Ronald Reagan, Henry Kissinger, Clare Boothe Luce, Tom Wolfe, Vladimir Horowitz, Roger Moore, Alistair Cooke, Princess Grace, and John Kenneth Galbraith). I particularly enjoyed this section.

The areas mentioned above are just a few mentioned. While Buckley undeniably comes from a rather refined background, his writing style is not arrogant. Indeed, he often thanks his Creator for the life he has lived and gives credit to other people when due.

Read and enjoy the book and learn more about one of our country's great conservative icons. Recommended.

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A joy to Read

When I was a kid, William F Buckley was a hero of my weekend TV, always the wordsmith, always clear, learned, and completely vicious in his rhetoric. This book compiles (mostly short) writings on a variety of topics, many quite personal, that show a loving son/husband/father, a wine aficionado, and a very warm human being. The writing is great: it is a joy to see those un-split infinitives, those real latin-rooted words, those well-crafted sentences. What comes across is a genuine man, one of towering intellectual power, who also worried about what his dad would do when he found out that he had bought a plane at college. If for no other reason, buy this book to enjoy (and inspire) great writing.
By the way, I do not agree with him on any topic, perhaps excepting wine (buy cheaply, drink with friends).

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Here is a unique collection of fifty years of essays by William F. Buckley, Jr. chosen to form an unconventioanl career as the consevative writer par excellence.

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