Bill and Ron

The Reagan I Knew, by William F. Buckley Jr. (Basic, 279 pp., $25)

THERE are layers of bittersweet melancholia in Bill Buckley’s memoir of his 30-year friendship with Ronald Reagan. The Reagan I Knew is Buckley’s final book; indeed, he was working on the finishing touches the day he died in February. The memory of Reagan, and especially the élan of ascendant conservatism in the 1970s and 1980s that Buckley’s memoir rekindles, burns hotter now that conservatives find themselves in the political wilderness again. And there are finally the sentimental qualities of both men-the talent for happiness and friendship along with a leavening of wit and a fitting sense of self-deprecation-that are exceedingly rare among great men in public life today.

About the Author

Steven F. Hayward

Steven F. Hayward is the Edward Gaylord Distinguished Visiting Professor at Pepperdine University School of Public Policy.

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William F. Buckley Jr.

Ronald Reagan

The Reagan I Knew, by William F. Buckley Jr. (Basic, 279 pp., $25)

THERE are layers of bittersweet melancholia in Bill Buckley’s memoir of his 30-year friendship with Ronald Reagan. The Reagan I Knew is Buckley’s final book; indeed, he was working on the finishing touches the day he died in February. The memory of Reagan, and especially the élan of ascendant conservatism in the 1970s and 1980s that Buckley’s memoir rekindles, burns hotter now that conservatives find themselves in the political wilderness again. And there are finally the sentimental qualities of both men-the talent for happiness and friendship along with a leavening of wit and a fitting sense of self-deprecation-that are exceedingly rare among great men in public life today.