Neil French has been a rent collector, account executive, advertising manager, waiter, singer, matador, beach-bum, pornographer, bouncer, debt-collector, concert promoter, nightclub owner, Judas Priests' rock-band manager, copywriter, art-director, creative director, film director, actor, television station owner, Worldwide Creative Director of Ogilvy and Godfather and Worldwide Creative Director of WPP. "Ten Favourite-ever books", is a tall order. Sort of like 'Desert Island Books'...which isn't a bad idea for a radio show, I reckon. Anyway, here you go:

In his first year in the ad business, he won more One Show Pencils than anyone else at his level. Ever. The was the youngest CD to ever sit on Ogilvy's creative council. And now he's Executive Creative Director of the innovative Droga5. But Ted Royer can't possibly be that busy. I mean, how does he find time to be such a prolific reader? While we recently chatted with Ted about his career, we asked him what books he likes to read when he should be making ads or something.

I read a lot. I always did.

How can you write if you don't read? If you don't love words? If you don't love stories?

I like writers more than books. If you've got one good one in you, why not another?

If I like an author, I'll read more. Not always. Not Ayn Rand. But sometimes.

I live in Brooklyn in a neighborhood that used to be full of writers. Capote wrote In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany's up the block. W.H. Auden lived here. So did Arthur Miller. Richard Wright. Norman Mailer lived around the corner.

I read on planes. On subways. I know I'm traveling too much when I've read every novel in the rack. Reading on planes is better than eating on them.
I like to see what people are reading on the A train. It's a place to hide – just you and those words on the page to protect you.

That said...