Jeremy Paxman knows every maneouvre a politician will make to avoid answering a difficult question, but in The Political Animal he seeks an answer to just one: What makes politicians tick?

Embarking on a journey in which he encounters movers and shakers past and present, he discovers:

that Prime Ministers have often lost a parent in childhood

why Trollope is the politician's novelist of choice

that Lloyd George once hunted Jack the Ripper

how an Admiral's speech in parliament helped win WWII

Where do politicians come from? How do they get elected? What do they do all day? And why do they seek power? All these questions and many more are addressed in Paxman's thrilling dissection of that strange and elusive breed - the political animal.

'Lively, persuasive, excellent. Boisterous and funny, provocative and punchily written... an intelligent romp' Matthew Parris, Spectator

'Entertaining, informative, incisive and insightful' Andrew Rawnsley Observer

'One of the best primers on the vicissitudes of political life I have read Christopher Silvester, Sunday Times

Jeremy Paxman is a journalist, best known for his work presenting Newsnight and University Challenge. His books include Empire, On Royalty, The English and The Political Animal. He lives in Oxfordshire.