Untold Stories
Alan Bennett
2006 The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction
The eighth edition of the prize included a flamboyant biography of a self-proclaimed Muslim prince, an engrossing account of Soviet-U.S. relations from WWII to the collapse of the U.S.S.R., an intimate and personal reflection of a man’s life written when he thought he was dying, lively biography of the first domestic diva of the modern age, Mrs. Beeton, and an evocative ‘blog’ by an anonymous woman in war torn Iraq.
Longlist announced
27 March 2006
Shortlist announced
24 May 2006
Winner & prize ceremony
14 June 2006
What the judges said“In terms of its originality, the sheer pleasure and unusual insight into the kind of person Shakespeare was and what he wrote is immense”
The shortlist
A prestigious shortlist of books are selected each year for the prize.
What the judges said"These are 6 books which will appeal greatly to the reader and together cover the widest possible range; from reflections on contemporary society, new insights into well-known history, political analysis and the frailties of humanity.”
The longlist
The Baillie Gifford Prize rewards excellence in non-fiction writing
Baghdad Burning
Riverbend (Pseudonym)
The Ongoing Moment
Geoff Dyer
The Cold War
John Lewis Gaddis
Mozart's Women
Jane Glover
The Sailor in the Wardrobe
Hugo Hamilton
The Short Life and Long Times of Mrs Beeton
Kathryn Hughes
The Great Wall
Julia Lovell
Ancient Americans
Charles C Mann
Rosebery
Leo McKinstry
Ivan's War
Catherine Merridale
Before the Fall-Out
Diana Preston
Witnesses of War
Nicholas Stargardt
After the Victorians
A.N. Wilson
What the judges said"The books on this list will undoubtedly excite and entrance readers from all walks of life.”
Meet the judges for 2006
The longlist, shortlist and winner is chosen by a panel of independent judges, which changes every year
Professor Lord Winston
1999 winner of the British Medical Association Gold Award for Medicine in the Media
Sir Richard Eyre
Winner of five Olivier Awards
Pankaj Mishra
2014 winner of the Windham-Campbell Prize for Non-Fiction
Christina Odone
Formerly Deputy Editor of the New Statesman
Michael Prodger
Former literary editor of the Sunday Telegraph