David Davis: My six best books
DAVID Davis 60, is a former Conservative party chairman. Raised on a South London council estate he resigned his front bench post last year to fight a by-election on civil liberties. He was re-elected and will be attending this year’s Tory Party conference from October 5.
Sharpe’s Eagle
by Bernard Cornwell
HarperCollins, £6.99
Whenever you read a historical book by Bernard Cornwell, you learn so much about the period – such as how a musket works. But he is also a great novelist and this tome has it all in terms of a rip-roaring historical page-turner. This is a great holiday read.
The Origins of Virtue
by Matt Ridley
Penguin, £9.99
A brilliantly lucid account of why we are an altruistic species – why we share, why we trust, why we make sacrifices for each other. The author uses a whole range of criteria to explain these paradoxes in human behaviour.
The Tangled Wing: Biological Constraints on the Human Spirit
by Melvin Konner
Out of print
A similar sort of book in some ways, about the biological roots of human behaviour. However it focuses more on emotions – fear and anger, for example – and on why they work the way they do. Full of insight into humanity.
The Face of Battle: A Study of Agincourt, Waterloo and the Somme
by John Keegan
Pimlico, £8.99
A fascinating read about why those in a battle actually fight. In other words why they put themselves at risk and do the horrible things they do. A book that anyone with an interest in the psychology of warfare should read.
Conjectures and Refutations: The Growth of Scientific Knowledge
by Karl R Popper
Routledge, £10.99
A wonderfully erudite volume by Karl Popper, the great philosopher of science, who explains how the scientific process works. I first read this 40 years ago and still pick up my well-thumbed copy a couple of times a year.
The Player of Games
by Iain M Banks
Orbit, £8.99
A brilliant novel by one of Britain’s finest sci-fi writers set long into a future in which resource problems and poverty have been overcome. Not only are the machines smarter than the men but they have all the best lines, too. Beautifully written, a must read for every sci-fi fan.