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Boris Johnson books: every book Boris Johnson wrote and recommended

Guest on Freakonomics Radio · 2 books · 1 episode across 1 podcast

Books by Boris Johnson

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13 books Boris Johnson wrote, best known first. What podcasts say about them →

Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a British politician and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He was previously Foreign Secretary and Mayor of London. Appearing on Freakonomics Radio, Johnson was asked for his favorite book aside from his own work and named Scoop by Evelyn Waugh, stating that he could always read it with pleasure, find a laugh on every page, and that it had inspired him to become a journalist. In the same interview, he also discussed his own biography, The Churchill Factor, explaining the conclusions he reached about Winston Churchill's unusual energy and capacity for work while writing the book.

Books recommended by Boris Johnson

Who said what is determined automatically. In hand-checked samples, at least 6% of mentions were credited to the wrong speaker — sometimes an interviewer’s line recorded as the guest’s, sometimes the reverse. Every entry below quotes the words and links to the episode, so you can check it.

  1. Scoop

    Evelyn Waugh · Recommended · 1 episode

    Scoop by Evelyn Waugh is a classic satirical novel that lampoons the chaotic world of journalism and foreign correspondence.

    Recommended
    “Favorite book or author other than yourself? Uh, I, I, I, I think it's, you know, it's a ridiculous question in many ways, but the book I can always read with pleasure and find a laugh on every page is Scoop by Evelyn Waugh.”
    Freakonomics Radio 187. The Man Who Would Be Everything 2014-11-20
    Where to get it
    AmazonListen on Audible

  2. The Churchill Factor

    Boris Johnson · Discussed · 1 episode

    The Churchill Factor by Boris Johnson is a biographical work exploring the life, career, and enduring legacy of British wartime prime minister Winston Churchill.

    Discussed
    “I discovered amazing things about him when I was writing the book. And I concluded at the end, you know, to get to your point, that he just was running on a different kind of biological fuel than the rest of us.”
    Freakonomics Radio 187. The Man Who Would Be Everything 2014-11-20
    Where to get it
    AmazonListen on Audible

Appearances

EpisodePodcastDateBooks
187. The Man Who Would Be EverythingFreakonomics Radio2014-11-202
Other mentions (4: passing, ad reads, own books)
Plugged Unleashed
“and one of the things I'm trying to do and Unleashed which is unquestionably a a mixture there's a lot of serious argument in it but also I'm trying to tell the story in as readable a way as possible”
The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett (EXCLUSIVE) Boris Johnson: "They Were Looking at Engineering The Virus… 2024-10-10 Listen at 20:20
Plugged Unleashed
“that's why you need to read read the book because the book contains this is the whole theme of the book right not the whole theme of the book it's one of the major themes of the book it's about leveling up”
The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett (EXCLUSIVE) Boris Johnson: "They Were Looking at Engineering The Virus… 2024-10-10 Listen at 25:34
Plugged Unleashed
“actually you know one of the points I make in in Unleashed is that if you look at it the model of national Independence that we got was crucial”
The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett (EXCLUSIVE) Boris Johnson: "They Were Looking at Engineering The Virus… 2024-10-10 Listen at 43:10
Passing All the President's Men
“the book I can always read with pleasure and find a laugh on every page is Scoop by Evelyn Waugh. There's no question. And it's the book that made me want to be a journalist and, and, and that and all the president's men.”
Freakonomics Radio 187. The Man Who Would Be Everything 2014-11-20