For more than six decades, satirist Gerald Scarfe succeeded in making our politicians appear just as the title of his coffee table book suggests: Monsters.

From his early illustrations of Macmillan and Kennedy to the latter-day satire focusing on Cameron and Obama, Scarfe’s artistic talent is truly wonderful, and he never fails to be creative when it comes to each character. Wilson, Nixon, Heath, Thatcher, Clinton, Blair, and Bush are all terrifically rendered.

Supplied by riveting commentary of Scarfe’s views on those he drew (often with deliberate unattractiveness), much of the art can be hilarious, deeply disturbing, and powerful in its metaphors.

Overall, a deeply memorable book to read on the loo.