The Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction 2015 longlist

After months of deliberation, we are delighted to announce the longlist for the Samuel Johnson Prize 2015.

It’s been an exciting few months, during which time our five judges have expertly whittled a list of nearly two hundred books, down to just twelve. With so many thoughtful, well-researched and insightful books in contention, the decision was not an easy one to make.  The books which have made the Samuel Johnson Prize 2015 longlist represent what the judges believe to be the very best of the year’s non-fiction writing, from across a huge variety of genres.

“We didn't plan it this way”, says Chair of Judges Anne Applebaum, “but this year's Samuel Johnson Prize longlist includes pretty much every important non-fiction genre: biography, history, science writing, travel writing, journalism. There's something for everybody here, whatever your tastes.” 

The Samuel Johnson Prize 2015 longlist is:

Ted Hughes: The Unauthorised Life, Jonathan Bate (William Collins)

Fighters in the Shadows: A New History of the French Resistance, Robert Gildea (Faber & Faber)

Landmarks, Robert Macfarlane (Hamish Hamilton)

The Planet Remade, Oliver Morton (Granta Books)

Guantanamo Diary, Mohamedou Ould Slahi (Canongate)

Nothing is True and Everything is Possible: Adventures in Modern Russia, Peter Pomerantsev (Faber & Faber)

They All Love Jack: Busting the Ripper, Bruce Robinson (4^th Estate)

The Four-Dimensional Human, Laurence Scott (William Heinemann (PRH))

Neurotribes: The Legacy of Autism and How to Think Smarter About People Who Think Differently, Steve Silberman (Allen & Unwin)

The Unravelling: High Hopes and Missed Opportunities in Iraq, Emma Sky (Atlantic Books)

Black Earth, Tim Snyder (Bodley Head)

This Divided Island, Samanth Subramanian, (Atlantic Books)

Tell us what you think about the 2015 longlist @SJPrize #SJPrize2015

What happens next?

Join us for the official Short-list announcement, at 1pm on Sunday 11^th October at the Royal Festival Hall, on the closing day of the London Literature Festival.   It promises to be a very special event with judges Rana Mitter and Sumit Paul-Choudhury discussing the list with broadcaster Mark Lawson who will chair the event, and a guest appearance from 2014 winner, Helen Macdonald.  For more information, or to buy tickets to the event, please visit https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/samuel-johnson-prize-shortlist-93590

The British Academy will also host a Samuel Johnson Prize shortlist event, chaired by broadcaster Jim Naughtie on Tuesday 27 October 6.30-8pm. Tickets can be booked at www.britac.ac.uk/events/2015/Samuel_Johnson_Prize_2015_Shortlist_Event.cfm