The subtitle of William F. Buckley Jr.’s latest, “Miles Gone By” (Regnery, 572 pages, $29.95), labels the book “A Literary Autobiography,” perhaps to distinguish it from the conventional chronological autobiography.
But then, a conventional autobiography would hardly be adequate for chronicling what has been a most unconventional American public life.
For whom else would the scrunched-together description of author/newspaper columnist/magazine editor/TV talk-show host/intellectual/pundit/pop-culture figure/amateur harpsichordist/ocean sailor seem limiting?
Instead what is offered is a scrapbook of 50 essays, many previously published, on topics that include Buckley’s childhood, ocean crossings, writing and professional and personal acquaintances.
And in that unconventional way what emerges is a fuller portrait of a life whose most important lesson might be this: He did a lot and had a lot of fun doing it.
Once a dominant figure in the realm of contemporary political commentary, Buckley has seen his fame eclipsed in recent years by hordes of less talented, less thoughtful and less entertaining writers and commentators.
“Miles Gone By” touches politics briefly, but much more ink is devoted to his passions: love of family, music, sailing, his religion, language, convivial company and conversation shared with those with whom, in the narrow scope of politics, he differed.
His longtime friend is liberal economist John Kenneth Galbraith. A CD of book excerpts read by Buckley that is included with the book is introduced by Walter Cronkite, who, as his own recent writings would indicate, can hardly be counted as a conservative.
Buckley was a favorite of comedic impressionists (back when we had those) because of his patrician accent and boundless vocabulary (the CD is a valuable addition to get a sense of the man).
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Yet those caricatures tend to obscure the elegance and wit of writing and speech so evident in this book.