His literary talents were, of course, legendary. But one aspect of his writing career that has been neglected thus far is that of historian. I remember reading The Fall of the Berlin Wall, a slim volume detailing the history and lore of the wall, and being impressed by Mr. Buckley's memorable descriptions of personalities and events that would not have been out of place in a work by Edward Gibbon. This book kindled my enthusiasm for Cold War-related topics, and I was disappointed to find how bland other author's works were by comparison. It would be an interesting imaginative exercise to consider what classics would have been produced by William F. Buckley the historian. As in all his works, he set an unreasonably high standard to which other writers could only aspire.
Richard Spillane, Heathsville, VA