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2009 The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction

Among the nominated books of the 11th edition of the prize was Michael Holroyd's first major biography is fifteen years, A Strange Eventful History. The full list of nominated books included a dramatic history of Quantum theory, an honest memoir of a woman craving silence, an urgent and riveting account of bureaucrats, brothels and AIDS on the frontline of sex and drugs, and the story of the Wittgenstein family.

Longlist announced

16 April 2009

Shortlist announced

15 May 2009

Winner & prize ceremony

15 July 2009

What the judges said

“What made Leviathan stand out…was Philip Hoare’s lifelong passion for his subject and his skill in making his readers share it. His prose is dream-like and rises to the condition of literature.”

Philip Hoare with his winning book 'Leviathan'

View the gallery of the prize-giving ceremony

What the judges said

"All of the shortlisted titles are the kinds of books we ordinarily might not have picked up - and now feel lucky to have read.”

Meet the judges for 2009

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

Jacob Weisberg

Founder of Tachyon Publications

Dr Mark Lythgoe

Founder and Director of the Centre for Advances Biomedical Imaging at UCL

Tim Marlow

Director and Chief Executive of the Design Museum

Munira Mirza

Former Director of the Number 10 Policy Unit

Sarah Sands

Former editor of the London Evening Standard

More about the judges