10 best classic political novels

It is shocking how relevant a novel written decades ago can seem today – sometimes even more so than on the day that it was published. We've rounded up ten of the best classic political novels of the past, recommended for some thrilling 2011 summer reading. Update: We have added three Facebook Fan recommendations to the list.

1. All the King's Men, by Robert Penn Warren

All the King's Men, by Robert Penn Warren, Mariner Books, 672 pp.

All the King's Men is the story of the rise and fall of Willie Stark, a character based on Huey Long, a 1930's Lousiana politician who sells his scruples for political power. The book is narrated by Stark's right-hand man, Jack Burden, whose moral compass never wavers. It's an intoxicating story about power, the lengths humans will go to gain it, and the damage that it does them.

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