Wolfson History Prize shortlist unveiled

Oxford University Press and Yale University Press have bagged two nominations each as the Wolfson History Prize 2019 shortlist is revealed. 

Celebrating historical non-fiction books in the UK, Mary Fulbrook’s history of the human impact of the Holocaust, Reckonings: Legacies of Nazi Persecution and the Quest for Justice (Oxford University Press) and publishing stablemate Birds in the Ancient World: Winged Words by ornithologist Jeremy Mynott (Oxford University Press) are battling it out for the £40,000 prize. 

Trading in War: London's Maritime World in the Age of Cook and Nelson by Margarette Lincoln and Miles Taylor’s account of Queen Victoria’s relationship with India, Empress: Queen Victoria and India make up Yale University Press’s shortlisted entries. The publisher scooped last year’s prize with Professor Peter Marshall of Warwick University’s Heretics and Believers: A History of the English Reformation. 

John Blair’s new interpretation of the Anglo-Saxon world, Building Anglo-Saxon England (Princeton University Press) and Oscar Wilde biography, Oscar: A Life by Matthew Sturgis (Apollo) round off the shortlist. 

Chair of the judges and President of the British Academy, David Cannadine, said: “The great strength and depth of history writing in the UK is demonstrated by this year’s shortlist. It brings together a range of authors, writing very different types of history across many periods and from divergent perspectives. The unifying element is a commitment to share their meticulous research and passion for their subject with as wide an audience as possible. The task of the judges – although difficult – was a delightful one, and it is with great enthusiasm that we announce the shortlist for 2019.”
 
The winner of the Wolfson History Prize 2019 will be named at a ceremony at Claridge’s Hotel, London, on Tuesday 11th June. The winner will be awarded £40,000, with each shortlisted author receiving £4,000.
 
The Wolfson History Prize is run and awarded by the Wolfson Foundation, an independent charity that awards grants in the fields of science, health, education, arts & humanities.
 
The Wolfson History Prize 2019 Shortlist will be showcased at a live recording of BBC Radio 3 Free Thinking, hosted at the British Academy in London, on Tuesday 7th May. Chaired by Professor Rana Mitter, the 2019 shortlisted authors will debate history writing and offer an insight into each of their books. Tickets can be purchased at: www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/events/wolfson-history-prize-2019-shortlist.