The Wolfson History Prize, the UK’s most prestigious history writing prize, has announced its shortlist for 2024, highlighting six of the best history books from the past year. Now in its 52nd year, the Wolfson History Prize celebrates books that combine excellence in research with accessibility for a general audience, demonstrating the relevance of history and historical writing to society today.
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.
The Shortlist
- Shadows at Noon: The South Asian Twentieth Century by Joya Chatterji
- Courting India: England, Mughal India and the Origins of Empire by Nandini Das
- Traders in Men: Merchants and the Transformation of the Transatlantic Slave Trade by Nicholas Radburn
- Our NHS: A History of Britain’s Best-Loved Institution by Andrew Seaton
- Winnie & Nelson: Portrait of a Marriage by Jonny Steinberg
- Out of Darkness: The Germans, 1942-2022 by Frank Trentmann
The Judges
The shortlist was selected by the panel of judges, made up of David Cannadine, Mary Beard, Richard Evans, Sudhir Hazareesingh, Carole Hillenbrand and Diarmaid MacCulloch.
The overall winner of the Wolfson History Prize 2024 will be revealed at a ceremony in central London on Monday 2 December 2024. As the most valuable history writing prize in the UK, 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.
The Wolfson History Prize is run and awarded by the Wolfson Foundation, an independent charity with a focus on research and education. Find out more about the Prize here.
Library Display Competition
This year, the Wolfson History Prize and The Reading Agency are offering digital POS kits to libraries across the UK which celebrate the 2024 shortlisted titles and previous winners and shortlisted authors. This is available from our shop.
To be in with the chance of winning a set of the shortlisted books, libraries can create a display using the posters, stickers and social media assets. Share a photo of the display on social media by 12 December and tag @WolfsonHistory and @ReadingAgency to enter.
Get involved
If you work in a library or workplace and would like to promote the prize, you can download a free digital pack from our shop.
What do you think of this year’s shortlisted titles? Which have you read and what will be added to your TBR pile? Add your comments below, or click any title above to leave a review.
Share your thoughts with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using #WolfsonHistoryPrize.
To learn more about the Wolfson History Prize head over to their website or connect on Twitter via @WolfsonHistory
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