Miles Gone by: A Literary Biography [With CD]

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.

Thanks to this marvelous (as usual) piece the miles gone by are still with us. I don't know why but I find myself contrasting this favorably with W. V. Quine's "The Time of My Life". While I might occasionally read Quine's autobiography for insights on his philosophy, and find his life much like the rigorous mathematical logic of his books, "Miles" represents much more the sort of days I would imitate had they not already gone by. This is a comfortable book that leads to comfortable hours.

I feel that I owe a great deal to William F. Buckley Jr. for all he has taught me and the pleasure he has provided me over the past several, well, decades. While I enjoy the political discourse, and have had fun with his novels, for me Mr. Buckley's writing is at its very best when he gets personal. Read his descriptions of being on watch alone at sea, or his tribute to Whittaker Chambers, or his loving obituaries to his parents and you will know what I mean. I have been moved by his writing about his youthful adventures, his faith, his son Christopher, computers, limousines, sailing, and music. The other thing is, Mr. Buckley is also very funny. I mean laugh out loud story telling. While Christopher Buckley's written humor is different than his father's, it is clear that there is an inherited component. This book, "Miles Gone By" is an edited collection of previous writings about his life so we get a largely chronological understanding of his life. This is a beautifully done book and I think its rich feel, the beautiful paper, the interesting pictures that capture important and changing times, and the audio CD with the famous Buckley voice reading us brief selections from the book, all contribute to the importance of this book for those of us who have been wanting WFB to tell us about his life in bound pages. Since all of this has been printed before, why buy the book? Simply because the editing makes the story more seamless than simply reading articles here, there, and across the pond. The writing remains fresh and a delight to read at an unhurried pace. I so much enjoyed taking my time reading the work of this self-proclaimed fast writer. I enjoy enjoying the act of reading. While I can race through technical material and that which must be read, when I get to material I want to read, such as this treasure, I want to slow down and enjoy it like a special evening with a friend. Why Mr. Buckley enrages some folks eludes me. They cannot know his writing first hand. That he has maintained lifelong friendships with his political combatants speaks volumes about his character (and theirs) and while I do not know Mr. Buckley personally, I suspect that his legendary kindness and supportiveness is absolutely true. What a marvelous treasure that will not only sit on my Buckley shelf with dozens of his other books, it is a life story that will also live in my soul. Mr. Buckley, please accept my deepest thanks.

My image of William F. Buckley has him in his "Firing Line" posture, tightly wound, legs crossed, arms folded, head back and pencil eraser resting on his lower lip. A visual metaphor that the "pen (or pencil) is mightier than the sword". Buckley the writer-thinker who, too many of us, resides on the pantheon of conservativism with Reagan, Friedman, and Hayek has assembled his autobiography, Miles Gone By, from roughly fifty articles he has written over a lifetime. This format provides an interesting portrait because this autobiography is not written by someone approaching eighty, but by a writer moving through life. And what a life! He writes at length of his love of the sea and the idiosyncrasies of his various yachts, skiing Utah with Milton Friedman or the Alps with Roger Moore. His unsuccessful run for mayor of New York City, and landmark book God and Man at Yale, that describes liberal (progressive, socialist) influence in the curriculum and the major stir it caused at Yale and among the chattering class. His founding of National Review, etiquette at cocktail parties and adventures in his jointly owned (with fellow students) two-seater airplane, his childhood as one of ten children living in Connecticut and Great Britain and relationship with his parents. His wit and sense of humor are throughout the book and makes it very enjoyable to read. The psychoanalysis can be left to the biographers; in Miles Gone By, Buckley has assembled a mosaic that, as you stand back, allows you to truly appreciate the man, his principles, courage and contributions.

William F. Buckley pulled precisely the right excerpts from his large store of material to give a vivid picture his extraordinary life, full of verve and that irrepressible twinkle in his eye. I have laughed, smiled, chuckled, or groaned at least once with every page. This is truly a delightful, entertaining, and brilliantly written account. It's an unusual way to "write" an autobiography, but then who would expect less than the unique from Bill Buckley?