Don McCullin picks his favourite books
The photojournalist shares works by Daniel Defoe, Lesley Blanch and Roland Philipps

The celebrated photojournalist picks six favourites. He will talk to Richard Ovenden about his life and work, and will be awarded this year's Bodley Medal, at the Oxford Literary Festival on 3 April.
Pleasure of Ruins
Rose Macaulay and Roloff Beny, 1964
I dug this out of a charity shop 25 years ago and it inspired me on my own journeying around the Mediterranean basin, resulting in three books on the ruins of the Roman empire. Macaulay's prose is stirring, and triggered my own fascination with stone.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
If This Is a Man
Primo Levi, 1947
I return to this book when my violent nightmares become extreme, for it is a lesson in being human, even in unimaginable depths of horror. Written in a spare style, the memoir is about the author's arrest and subsequent incarceration at Auschwitz.
Robinson Crusoe
Daniel Defoe, 1719
This was a favourite childhood book, and when I read it as an adult I also appreciate Defoe's journalistic and political bent of mind – a man not prepared to take anything at face value.
The Wilder Shores of Love
Lesley Blanch, 1954
I've always enjoyed travel writing, especially when it conveys worlds and times that no longer exist. This is a collection of mini-biographies about the separate adventures of four very different women who made the Middle East their home.
Broken Archangel
Roland Philipps, 2024
I've been long drawn to the maverick Roger Casement, a brilliant Irishman, rebel and diplomat who was arrested for high treason and executed. He was many things, but also a humanitarian exposing atrocities in Congo. Philipps's biography brings all his complexities into view.
King Leopold's Ghost
Adam Hochschild, 1998
If you want to understand the turmoil and unrest of Africa today, it's worth reading this haunting account, exploring one colonising nation's mission to exploit the state of Congo in the late 1800s. The atrocities that were committed can't quite be believed.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
See the bright lights from these 7 big-city hotels
The Week Recommends Immerse yourself in culture, history and nightlife
-
Scientists want to regrow human limbs. Salamanders could lead the way.
Under the radar Humans may already have the genetic mechanism necessary
-
Sudoku medium: June 25, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Anne Hillerman's 6 favorite books with Native characters
Feature The author recommends works by Ramona Emerson, Craig Johnson, and more
-
Book reviews: '1861: The Lost Peace' and 'Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers'
Feature How America tried to avoid the Civil War and the link between lead pollution and serial killers
-
Brian Wilson: the troubled genius who powered the Beach Boys
Feature The musical giant passed away at 82
-
Grilled radicchio with caper and anchovy sauce recipe
The Week Recommends Smoky twist on classic Italian flavours is perfect to grill, drizzle and devour
-
Echo Valley: a 'twisty modern noir' starring Julianne Moore and Sydney Sweeney
The Week Recommends This tense thriller about a mother and daughter is 'American cinema for grown ups'
-
Larry Lamb shares his favourite books
The Week Recommends The actor picks works by Neil Sheehan, Annie Proulx and Émile Zola
-
Stereophonic: an 'extraordinary, electrifying odyssey'
The Week Recommends David Adjmi's Broadway hit about a 1970s rock band struggling to record their second album comes to the West End
-
Shifty: a 'kaleidoscopic' portrait of late 20th-century Britain
The Week Recommends Adam Curtis' 'wickedly funny' documentary charts the country's decline using archive footage