Wolfson History Prize 2024 shortlist revealed

The shortlist for the 2024 Wolfson History Prize has been revealed. This year’s shortlist covers multiple centuries and countries, with a focus on major turning points in the histories of the Americas, Britain, Bangladesh, Germany, India, Pakistan and South Africa.

Now in its 52nd year, the Wolfson History Prize celebrates books that "combine excellence in research with readability for a general audience, demonstrating the relevance of history and historical writing to society today".

The Wolfson History Prize awards a total of £75,000, with the winner receiving £50,000 and each of the five shortlisted authors receiving £5,000.

Wolfson History Prize 2024 shortlist:

• Shadows at Noon: The South Asian Twentieth Century by Joya Chatterji (The Bodley Head)
• Courting India: England, Mughal India and the Origins of Empire by Nandini Das (Bloomsbury Publishing)
• Traders in Men: Merchants and the Transformation of the Transatlantic Slave Trade by Nicholas Radburn (Yale University Press)
• Our NHS: A History of Britain’s Best-Loved Institution by Andrew Seaton (Yale University Press)
• Winnie & Nelson: Portrait of a Marriage by Jonny Steinberg (William Collins)
• Out of the Darkness: The Germans, 1942-2022 by Frank Trentmann (Allen Lane)

This year’s judging panel comprises historians Mary Beard, Richard Evans, Sudhir Hazareesingh, Carole Hillenbrand and Diarmaid MacCulloch, and chair David Cannadine will select one overall winner from their shortlist of six.

Cannadine said: "This year’s shortlist showcases the extraordinary range and breadth of contemporary historical writing. From politics, slavery and international relations to healthcare and societal transformation, the six titles – with subjects spanning continents and centuries – offer profound insights and stand out for their rigorous research and compelling storytelling."

Paul Ramsbottom, chief executive of the Wolfson Foundation, said: "We are excited to announce the shortlist for the Wolfson History Prize 2024, celebrating the very best history writing in the UK today. Our judges have done a remarkable job in choosing six books which combine excellent research with readability. They now have the unenviable task of selecting only one winner from this magnificent shortlist. These are books that are eminently worth reading: eye-opening, important and at times painful accounts of human history. They not only sparkle, but remind us that the past is always with us, and ultimately why history writing matters."

The overall winner of the Wolfson History Prize 2024 will be revealed at a ceremony in central London on Monday, 2nd December 2024.