Getting About: Travel Writings of William F. Buckley Jr. Hardcover

An elegant jet-setter with a flair for literary journalism, Buckley had few rivals in the art of travel writing. He took first place in the Magazine Article on Foreign Travel category in the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition for eight pieces written while “Concording around the world” in 1989.

A master storyteller, he adeptly wove devices of fiction together with reportage to craft entertaining pieces full of exuberance and authority. Being a Bach aficionado, he composed his sentences for a well-tuned ear.

Highlights of Buckley's Travel Writing

• Vivid Mise-en-scène:
  Buckley’s talent for arranging a mise-en-scène stands out in accounts of:
  • Riding the Orient Express
  • Skiing at Alta
  • Vacationing at Barbuda
  Though himself a central character in the story, he never dominates it.
• Candid Travel Misadventures:
  He wrote openly about his travel mishaps, including:
  • His sixty-foot schooner breaking down in the Bahamas and being towed to Miami by a Coast Guard cutter.
  • A malfunctioning compass landing his boat on a rocky shoal off Rhode Island, where the Coast Guard famously said, “Sorry, we can’t help you.”
• Sharp Observations:
  Buckley brought a gimlet eye to the travel industry and a discriminating palate to airline food. He even suggested airports sell “a really good box lunch” featuring celery rémoulade, fresh figs, and a nice Bordeaux.