Norman Tebbit's six best books

Norman Tebbit served in the RAF before becoming a Conservative MP. An ally of Margaret Thatcher, he held a number of high-profile government posts in the 1980s.

He told the Daily Express about his six best books. One title on the list:

NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR
by George Orwell

The year in question may have been 25 years ago but I fear the world of Doublethink and Newspeak that Orwell so brilliantly portrayed in his classic novel is approaching us more rapidly than ever. In fact, if you look at political discourse these days, you'll find it's arrived.

Read about another book on Tebbit's list.

Nineteen Eighty-four is #7 on a list of the 100 best last lines from novels. It disappointed Neil deGrasse upon re-reading. The book made Daniel Johnson's five best list of books about Cold War culture, Robert Collins' top ten list of dystopian novels, Gemma Malley's top 10 list of dystopian novels for teenagers, is one of the top ten works of literature according to Stephen King, and appears on John Mullan's list of ten of the best rats in literature.

--Marshal Zeringue