Anglo-American Memories — Background and Themes

A Journalist's Self-Portrait Through Others

Smalley's memoir is less about himself than about the people he observed, but his choices of subjects and anecdotes reveal his own values and professional identity. In the preface, he notes the book is "in some slight degree, autobiographical, but only so far as necessary to explain my relations with those men and women." The excerpts show him as a confident insider: he describes his method for covering the Franco-Prussian War, sending two correspondents to opposing headquarters, a tactic he claims was "quite novel in England." He also recounts how the Tribune established a London office years before other American papers, positioning himself as an innovator. These details, drawn from his own experience, build a portrait of a shrewd, competitive journalist proud of his paper's independence.

War Correspondence and the Speed of News

The longest excerpt details the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War in July 1870, emphasizing the unexpectedness of the conflict and the slow response of British newspapers. Smalley criticizes Fleet Street for ignoring American journalism, noting that "the area of all possible competition in war news was confined, in their view, to Fleet Street and Printing House Square." He contrasts this with the Tribune's approach, which involved cabling dispatches from London. The passage includes a precise timeline of events from July 4 to July 15, showing Smalley's attention to chronology. He also names Lord Northcliffe (then two years old) as a future force in journalism, a retrospective nod that underscores his own foresight. The focus is on the mechanics of news gathering, not on battle tactics.

The Limits of the Catalog Subjects

The catalog lists "United States -- Politics and government" and "Great Britain -- Politics and government," but the excerpts do not provide systematic analysis of either. Instead, Smalley offers personal impressions of political figures like Bismarck, Lord Granville, and Émile Ollivier, often with sharp judgments. He calls Ollivier's account of the war's origins "elaborate special pleading" and blames France's demand for guarantees after Prussia's withdrawal. These are opinions, not balanced histories. The subject "Europe -- Politics and government -- 1871-1918" is barely touched; the war excerpt ends in 1870. Readers expecting a comprehensive political study will find a journalist's selective memoir, rich in anecdote but limited in scope. The book's value lies in its firsthand voice, not its coverage of catalog topics.

Smalley's Anglo-American Memories rewards readers interested in the craft of journalism and the personalities behind nineteenth-century politics. Approach each chapter as a standalone sketch, and note how Smalley's own role—as observer, participant, and competitor—shapes every account. The book is best read for its specific, often opinionated details rather than as a general history.

The rain tapped against the window while Smalley’s recollections of Bismarck’s bluntness lingered in my mind—how diplomacy often hides more than it reveals. That thread pulled me, almost without thinking, toward the quiet persistence of an earlier ambassador’s letters. Lord Lyons: A Record of British Diplomacy, Vol. 1 of 2 — Reading Notes felt like turning from a noisy battlefield to a candlelit desk, where patience mattered more than spectacle.