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2007 The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction

The ninth edition of the prize included the story of murdered Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh, an epic family story of life under Saddam’s dictatorship, the story of a woman living through turbulent times in Iran, an impassioned rebuttal of religion of all types, a secret history of mind control, a true story of love, war and madness in Seventeenth Century England, and the remarkable life of spy, archaeologist, linguist and mountaineer, Gertrude Bell.

Longlist announced

12 April 2007

Winner & prize ceremony

18 June 2007

What the judges said

“Chandrasekaran stands back, detached and collected, from his subject but his reader is left gobsmacked, right in the middle of it.”

Rajiv Chandrasekaran with his winning book 'Imperial Life in the Emerald City'

View the gallery of the prize-giving ceremony

What the judges said

“These are six challenging and extremely well written books which reflect the ideas and spirit of the society we live in."

Meet the judges for 2007

The longlist, shortlist and winner is chosen by a panel of independent judges, which changes every year

Helena Kennedy QC

Labour member of the House of Lords

Dr Jim Al-Khalili

Recognised in 2014 as RISE leader by UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council

Diana Athill

Former Literary Editor at Andrew Deutsch Ltd.

Dr Tristram Hunt

Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum

Mark Lawson

Former presenter of BBC 4 Front Row

More about the judges