Cor Jesu Sacratissimum

Aisle 22—Books on the Chesterbelloc

We have a Belloc Aisle. We have a Chesterton Aisle. And now—why on earth?— a Chesterbelloc aisle?!

The reason is twofold. First, it testifies to the enormous effect of the Chesterbelloc literary phenomenon on my thinking. Second, because we not only want books here by Belloc and Chesterton (as in the last two Aisles) but also books which witness to their legacy. These include biographies and memoirs about the two men and their work, but also books by those they knew or who followed in their footsteps (eg. Evelyn Waugh, Joseph Pearce or Thomas Storck) as well as books on Distributism. Alas, many of the best of these books do not feature here—they are sadly out of print.

In the last row above we also have some secular academic studies on the Chesterbelloc by Corrin and Lothian. They are mines of information, but leave much to be desired inasmuch as they try to ‘correct’ Belloc and Chesterton — according to prevailing secular norms.

Ugh.

But however biased I find some of these books they have all been enormously helpful to mein understanding the greatness of what the Chesterbelloc set in motion . . .

I will just note including Waugh’s final masterpiece Sword of Honour seems justified in how much he honoured Belloc (and Chesterton). But I detect, too, a geopolitical thinking in the novel that may owe something to Belloc—as though perhaps, late in life, Waugh was realising how much Belloc understood about the Anglo-American dominated state of international affairs, even before WWII. A theme I hope to explore in time elsewhere . . .

Finally, I could hardly leave out my own books, deeply indebted as they all are to Belloc—but not without traces of Chesterton either! —RB.

Books from Roger Buck

Foreword for Monarchy by Roger Buck

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