Buckley, the right word

the long version

William F. Buckley, Jr., who is even more well known for his supple vocabulary, productivity, and remarkable range of interests than for his politics, provides a one-man show of English in action. By examining the variety of ways in which he employs language, and the responses to them, the reader who delights in words will delight in these exchanges of opinion about the many meanings of language. Not all the rewards are in Buckley's own words. Drawing on his correspondents, his friends, his critics, and the work of others, the text provides provocative examples, discussion, and, often, debate in various voices. Much of Bill Buckley's extraordinary mail is concerned with questions of usage. Generous samplings of that correspondence appear along with major essays, columns, interviews, introductions, articles, reviews, and appreciations. There is, too, a Buckley Lexicon, hundreds of words he employs, giving definitions plus examples of their uses from his published writings.