Living It Up With National Review: A Memoir - Hardcover

Priscilla L. Buckley

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1890626597 ISBN 13: 9781890626594

Publisher: UNKNO, 2005

Synopsis

In an affectionate and hilarious memoir of her forty-three years at National Review, Priscilla Buckley takes her readers behind the scenes at the magazine that came to define American conservatism. With her brother William F. Buckley leading a “brilliant but highly combustible” cast of characters, she recounts the adventures and antics of the intellectuals, writers, and statesmen who built the most formidable movement in contemporary politics.Miss Buckley’s insider’s account of daily life at National Review includes anecdotes that will become part of the folklore of conservatism: the scandalous origins of the Willmoore Kendall Memorial Couch, Arthur Schlesinger’s prize donkey, and NR’s own version of the Pentagon Papers, to name a few. Her privileged perch had its advantages and drawbacks: Miss Buckley worked with many of the leading journalists and politicians of the past half-century—NR attracted the young George Will, Joan Didion, and Dinesh D’Souza, among others. She also constantly contended with the more exotic species in the conservative zoo (remember the fluoridation controversy?).Interspersed with these winsome tales are accounts of the Buckley clan’s outdoor adventures that rank with the best travel writing: hot air ballooning, white-water rafting, and hunting—lots of hunting.As National Review celebrates its fiftieth birthday, Miss Buckley’s memoir of family and work, patriotism and faith, pranks and laughs, will charm American conservatives through the anniversary year and for years to come.

About this title

About the Author

PRISCILLA BUCKLEY spent forty-three years as an editor at National Review. After Smith College, she worked as a reporter in Paris and New York, including a clandestine stint at the United Press sports desk. Among her previous books are The Joys of National Review and String of Pearls, an account of her years as a reporter. An avid painter, golfer, and hunter, Miss Buckley lives in Sharon, Connecticut.

From Publishers Weekly

Retired reporter and editor—as well as big sister to one of the best-known conservatives in the country, William F. Buckley Jr.—Buckley takes readers behind the scenes as she plays an instrumental role at National Review, the conservative publication of record, from its inception in 1955 to its 50th anniversary this year. Scattered among details of deadlines, the challenges of running a startup publication and the revolving staff are anecdotes from Buckley's own life within her large family, and tales regarding her passion for the sporting life. There are some fine sections; the chapter on the many young editorial assistants who have worked for Buckley is humorous, and she writes about her sister Maureen's untimely death with grace and quiet sadness. However, reading this memoir is somewhat like sitting with an elderly aunt and listening to stories from days past; one yarn tends to run into the next, and unless there is a true interest in the inner workings of the subject at hand—in this case, the publication and its founding family—her tale may be too dry to hold many people's interest. (Oct.)
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About this edition

• Publisher: UNKNO
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1890626597
• ISBN 13: 9781890626594
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 247