Happy Days Were Here Again: Reflections of a Libertarian Journalist [Paperback]

William F. Buckley Jr. (Author), Patricia Bozell (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 28, 2008

In Happy Days Were Here Again, William F. Buckley Jr. offers a collection of his finest essays from the latter part of his long career. Sometimes celebrating, sometimes assailing, Buckley takes on opponents ranging from Mikhail Gorbachev to Carl Sagan to Leonard Bernstein; reflects on the academic scene, the Gulf War, and the idea of sin; and offers appreciations of friends, both right and left. For everyone who appreciates the wit and style of America’s pre-eminent conservative, this is a must-have collection.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this collection of slashing, energetic, acerbically witty columns and articles from the National Review , Esquire , the New York Times and elsewhere, Buckley predictably takes aim at such targets as Jesse Jackson, Edward Kennedy, Ross Perot, multiculturalism and the United Nations, while just as predictably defending capital punishment, Star Wars, nuclear power and U.S. involvement in the Persian Gulf War. The conservative thinker calls the rising illegitimate birth rate the single greatest cause of poverty, illiteracy, crime, drugs and unemployment. He outlines an agenda for conservatives in the 1990s in which he advocates, among other things, an openness to arguments for the legalization of drugs. Along with withering commentaries on campus unrest, Gorbachev and the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court, Buckley pays homage to Johann Sebastian Bach, Malcolm Forbes and Christopher Columbus, and he laments the "slow death" of Lady Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales. Author tour.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

It's interesting to note, in these days of political realignment, that--per the subtitle--Buckley now seems to be calling himself a ``libertarian'' rather than a ``conservative''- -though you wouldn't know it from the almost invariably middle-of- the-road to left-leaning targets he spits darts at in this generous collection of National Review columns (1985-93), speeches, and essays from Playboy, The New York Times, and elsewhere. First up is a 1985 column on Carl Sagan, knocked here for letting his fear of nuclear winter overwhelm any fear of Soviet domination--though within Buckley's acerbic critique lies, as usual, a saving grace of humor: ``Carl Sagan gave a half hour's performance [before a Congressional committee] so arrogant he might have been confused with, well, me.'' Last up is a 1985 tribute to Ronald Reagan (``As an individual you incarnate American ideals at many levels''). In between, in pieces arranged thematically rather than chronologically, Buckley mostly targets, but sometimes trumpets, student protestors, Idi Amin, female would-be combat soldiers, fundamentalists, Bush (``His Supreme Preppiness''), Gorbachev, Castro, the Sandinistas, Charles and Diana, Dinesh D'Souza, and nearly every other high-profile political and moral icon or straw man of the era. It's a bravura performance, albeit one indelibly marked by Buckley's perpetually righteous, and right-wing, stance. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (October 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0465003354
• ISBN-13: 978-0465003358
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,234,410 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Everything You Could Expect., April 24, 2002

By 

Anthony Sunclades - See all my reviews

This review is from: Happy Days Were Here Again: Reflections of a Libertarian Journalist (Paperback)

This is a fine collection of the thoughts and witticisms of William F Buckley. It covers most any area that Mr. Buckley holds an Interest whether it be politics, social affairs, sailing, classical music and spending time with dignitaries and well to do people. It is fantastically written (as can be expected from Buckley) however it seemed to talk just over the head of the common man. With his infatuation with the Ryder Cup and talking about people who are important to him, really have no impact on my life. All in all it is a very well written fast paced collection. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys political and social commentary. And to anyone who just like to read something different than a novel or text of history.
Thanks For Your Time:
T

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant author, book uneven in quality, June 5, 2002

By 

Small Beer (Boise, Idao) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Happy Days Were Here Again: Reflections of a Libertarian Journalist (Hardcover)

William F. Buckley is unquestionably one of the most articulate and knowledgeable American debaters of the second half of the twentieth century. Buckley seems to know a little bit--if not a lot--about everything, and he reflects and gives observations about various topics in this collection of essays from the mid-to-late 80s and early 90s.

As an author, Buckley is unfailingly witty and acerbic, and this book is littered with quips and sapient remarks. Buckley is particularly good at analyzing other peoples' positions, and at poking holes in their poor logic. That is where this book succeeds.

This book occasionally fails when Buckley attempts to elucidate his own position on an issue. For instance, in one essay Buckley suggests that Beethoven is "a national monument" and should be entitled to governmental protection, so that vacationers can listen to the great composer's symphonies when they are traveling in non-cosmopolitan areas. My suggestion to Buckley would be to rent a car with a tape deck or cd player. It is not necessary for the government to mandate all-Beethoven channels in all cities and towns in order for citizens to listen to Beethoven when they are on vacation.

In another essay Buckley spells out the case for allowing women to serve in the military, but then says that he takes the opposite position. His explanation for why he is against women serving in the military is vague. He says that allowing women to join the armed forces is repugnant to "human nature," which leads one to wonder how Buckley would respond to someone who believes that what he calls "human nature" is an artificial construct. Maybe he did not provide a response to that question because of spacial constraints, but I think that if he is going to base a policy position on human nature, he should provide readers with some sort of idea of what his theory of human nature is.
I hope that I have not accentuated the negative too much in this review, because Buckley truly is a wonderful writer and an interesting read. He has opinions about everything, and he is fun to read not only for what he has to say, but also for how he says it. His vocabulary is expansive and his word-choices are colorful. This book should be read by anyone who wants intelligent and fiercely-opinionated commentary on newsworthy events, and the various parties involved, from 1985 to 1992.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buckley's Best, April 25, 2003

By 

R. Tiedemann "Sunnye" (Bellevue, NE USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Happy Days Were Here Again: Reflections of a Libertarian Journalist (Hardcover)

This is Buckley at his acerbic best on subjects as varied as John Lennon, Ted Kennedy and Elizabeth Taylor to academia, Gorbachev and The First Gulf War.

It's always illuminating and stimulating to explore the brain of one of America's foremost conservative thinkers and as these essays drift more into history, his insights and deliberations become astounding in their perspicacity and accuracy.

These essays cover everything from the fall of communism, the Los Angeles riots, Playboy magazine and lots more. The time spent reading this delightful paperback is time spent in the company of charming brilliance.