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Loading... The Blackford Oakes Readerby William F. Buckley, Jr.
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Belongs to SeriesBlackford Oakes (11)
"It all started when editor Sam Vaughan asked William K. Buckley, "Why don't you try a novel?" To which America's most renowned conservative replied, "Sam, why don't you play a trumpet concerto?" Vaughan didn't take up this musical challenge, but he did send Buckley a book contract the next morning, and therein lies the origin of the Blackford Oakes novels, ten stories of international intrigue with Oakes, a distinctly American CIA agent, serving as protagonist." "The Blackford Oakes Reader is a collection of the character studies that lie at the heart of these novels." "Oakes himself is the focus of the first book, Saving the Queen. Subsequently, Buckley would examine an aristocrat trying to exert his will on post-Hitler Germany, a pair of scientists dealing with life in the Soviet Union after confinement in Gulag, a Spaniard serving as a pawn for the Party in Communist Cuba, and eight other diverse characters, all of whom find their lives entangled in the web of international espionage."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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In addition to great characters, and well plotted stories, Buckley's mastery of the written word is incredible. His sentence structure and vocabulary are a tribute to the fast-disappearing liberal arts education.
If you are looking for a good read, and/or have never read any of Buckley's fiction, this is a highly recommended place to start. A definite 5 stars. ( )