1) Cats Eye - Andre Norton
A classic science-fiction bildungsroman, which I read before I was 11. In some far star-flung future, an orphaned youth gets a job as an apprentice in a pet-shop, and finds he can communicate in some strange way with the alien animals. In this way, he becomes aware of a dangerous plot which could threaten the lives of millions. This book and the next one are really what brought me to reading science fiction.
2) Islands in the sky - Arthur C Clarke
One of the very first science-fiction novels I read, this is the story
of a young fellow who wins a TV quiz show, and the prize is a free
ticket to anywhere in the world. The youngster insists on being allowed
to visit an orbiting space station, and this is the story of his
adventures whilst up there in orbit.
3) The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand
I read this before I was 17. Though an adventure about outspoken architect Howard Roark, the real issue being dealt with is the relative importance of the individual versus the collective, or society.
4) Time enough for love - R.A Heinlein
The story of the healing and recovery of Lazarus Long, a 2000 year-old
man, from the ennui and depression caused by living for such a long
time. This book and Heinlein's work in general have influenced me more than any other, including (possibly) the Bible. It is long and complicated with
several independent anecdotes, rather like the “1001 nights”, to which
the author pays conscious and deliberate homage.
5) Mere Christianity - C.S Lewis
A sane and reasoned exposition of my faith. Though it is dated and very much of its time (the mid 1940's) the ideas and reasoning in this book remain central to a strong and sound understanding of Christian faith.
6) Who moved the stone? - Frank Morison
A trained lawyer and an agnostic, writing in the early twentieth century, looks at what really happened between the arrest of Jesus on the Thursday night, and the discovery of the empty tomb on the Saturday morning. Setting out to prove that Jesus did not rise from the dead, he effectively proved beyond reasonable doubt that Jesus did rise from the dead. The lawyer became a Christian.
7) The Magicians Nephew - C. S Lewis
The prequel to Lewis's "Narnia Chronicles", this book tells the story of Professor Digory (the magicians nephew of the title) as a small boy and his adventures in Narnia along with his uncle, the evil Jadis and other characters. We see here the effects of sin in a world only hours old - and we see how there could have been a seven day creation.
8) News from Tartary - Peter Fleming
Fleming's exquisitely written account of a journey from Peking to Kashgar in the 1930's was the book that first stimulated my own interest in all things to do with Central Asia. It has also given me the taste for good writing - it is not easy to put up with poor English after reading either of the Fleming brothers.
9) The road to serfdom - F. A Hayek
I was amazed when I first read this; in a world dominated by the liberal left, it is refreshing to read, clearly outlined, what happens to a society that embraces collectivism and socialism. The clue is in the title.
10) For a new liberty: The libertarian manifesto - Murray Rothbard
Another well-written economic treatise from when people were still taught how to write properly. Libertarian economist Rothbard's arguments for "anarcho-capitalism" do not all stand up, particularly with regard to the validity of military or state-sponsored use of force, but some of his ideas make perfect sense to me.
