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The Memoirs of Walter Bagehot
The spirited and measured memoir of Walter Bagehot, had he left one
Walter Bagehot (1826–1877) was a prominent English journalist, banker, and man of letters. For many years he was editor of The Economist , and to this day the magazine includes a weekly “Bagehot” column. His analyses of politics, economics, and public affairs were nothing short of brilliant. Sadly, he left no memoir. How, then, does this book bear the title, The Memoirs of Walter Bagehot ? Frank Prochaska explains, “Given my longstanding interest in Bagehot’s life and times, I decided to compose a memoir on his behalf.” And so, in this imaginative reconstruction of the memoir Bagehot might have written, Prochaska assumes his subject’s voice, draws on his extensive writings (Bagehot’s Collected Works fill 15 volumes), and scrupulously avoids what Bagehot considered that most unpardonable of faults—dullness. A faux autobiography allows for considerable license, but Prochaska remains true to Bagehot’s character and is accurate in his depiction of the times. The memoir immerses us in the spirit of the Victorian era and makes us wish to have known Walter Bagehot. He is, Prochaska observes, the Victorian with whom we would most want to have dinner.
Walter Bagehot (1826–1877) was a prominent English journalist, banker, and man of letters. For many years he was editor of The Economist , and to this day the magazine includes a weekly “Bagehot” column. His analyses of politics, economics, and public affairs were nothing short of brilliant. Sadly, he left no memoir. How, then, does this book bear the title, The Memoirs of Walter Bagehot ? Frank Prochaska explains, “Given my longstanding interest in Bagehot’s life and times, I decided to compose a memoir on his behalf.” And so, in this imaginative reconstruction of the memoir Bagehot might have written, Prochaska assumes his subject’s voice, draws on his extensive writings (Bagehot’s Collected Works fill 15 volumes), and scrupulously avoids what Bagehot considered that most unpardonable of faults—dullness. A faux autobiography allows for considerable license, but Prochaska remains true to Bagehot’s character and is accurate in his depiction of the times. The memoir immerses us in the spirit of the Victorian era and makes us wish to have known Walter Bagehot. He is, Prochaska observes, the Victorian with whom we would most want to have dinner.
- GenresBiography
207 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
1 person is currently reading
42 people want to read
About the author
Walter Bagehot
307 books56 followersBritish journalist Walter Bagehot edited
The Economist
and wrote
The English Constitution
(1867), an analysis of the comparative powers of the branches of government.
Walter Bagehot, a businessman and essayist, extensively covered literature and affairs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_...
Walter Bagehot, a businessman and essayist, extensively covered literature and affairs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_...
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 11, 2020
Not quite a real memoir, it has been constructed by Prochaska from the great Bagehot's writings and letters, using (as far as possible) only Bagehot's own words. (Bagehot was an excellent writer on politics and economics himself: Lombard Street and The English Constitution being probably the two best-known works, written in the 1860s and both still in print.) This fine reconstruction is far, far from dull, a splendid read and very quotable (which is one of the reasons Bagehot is still so highly thought of).
November 12, 2025
Interesting fiction exercise. I particularly enjoyed the chapters on the American Constitution and Lombard Street.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews