book of the year | novel | biography | poetry | children's book

Book of the Year

2009  TBA
2008  The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
2007  Day by A. L. Kennedy
2006  The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney
2005  Matisse the Master by Hilary Spurling
2004  Small Island by Andrea Levy
2003  The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
2002  Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self by Claire Tomalin
2001  The Amber Spyglass: His Dark Materials - Book III by Philip Pullman
2000  English Passengers by Matthew Kneale
1999  Beowulf: A New Verse Translation by Seamus Heaney
1998  Ariel's Gift: Ted Hughes, Sylvia Plath, and the Story of Birthday Letters by Erica Wagner
1997  Tales from Ovid by Ted Hughes
1996  The Spirit Level by Seamus Heaney
1995  Behind the Sciences at the Museum by Kate Atkinson
1994  Felicia's Journey by William Trevor
1993  Theory of War by Joan Brady
1992  Poor Things by Alasdair Gray
1991  The Queen of the Tambourine by Jane Gardam
1990  Hopeful Monsters by Nicholas Mosley
1989  Coleridge Volume 1 Early Visions 1772 1804 by Richard Holmes
1988  Comforts of Madness by Paul Sayer
1987  Under the Eye of the Clock: The Life Story of Christopher Nolan by Christopher Nolan
1986  An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro
1985  Hawksmoor by Peter Ackroyd
1984  Kruger's Alp by Christopher Hope
1983  Fools of Fortune by William Trevor
1982  Young Shoulders by John Wain
1981  Silver's City by Maurice Leitch
1980  How Far Can You Go by David Lodge
1979  The Old Jest by Jennifer Johnston
1978  Picture Palace by Paul Theroux
1977  Injury Time by Beryl Bainbridge
1976  The Children of Dynmouth by William Trevor
1975  Docherty by William McIlvanney
1974  The Sacred and Profane Love Machine by Iris Murdoch
1973  The Chip-chip Gatherers by Shiva Naipaul

Novel

2009  Colm Toibin, Brooklyn
2008  Sebastian Barry, The Secret Scripture
2007  A. L. Kennedy, Day
2006  William Boyd, Restless
2005  Ali Smith, the accidental
2004  Andrea Levy, Small Island
2003  Mark Haddon, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
2002  Michael Frayn, Spies
2001  Patrick Neate, Twelve Bar Blues
2000  Matthew Kneale, English Passengers
1999  Rose Tremain, Music and Silence
1998  Justin Cartwright, Leading the Cheers
1997  Jim Crace, Quarantine
1996  Beryl Bainbridge, Every Man for Himself
1995  Salman Rushdie, The Moor's Last Sigh
1994  William Trevor, Felicia's Journey
1993  Joan Brady, Theory of War
1992  Alasdair Gray, Poor Things
1991  Jane Gardam, The Queen of the Tambourine
1990  Nicholas Mosley, Hopeful Monsters
1989  Lindsay Clarke, The Chymical Wedding
1988  Salman Rushdie, The Satanic Verses
1987  Ian McEwan, The Child in Time
1986  Kazuo Ishiguro, An Artist of the Floating World
1985  Peter Ackroyd, Hawksmoor
1984  Christopher Hope, Kruger's Alp
1983  William Trevor, Fools of Fortune
1982  John Wain, Young Shoulders
1981  Maurice Leitch, Silver's City
1980  David Lodge, How Far Can You Go?
1979  Jennifer Johnston, The Old Jest
1978  Paul Theroux, Picture Palace
1977  Beryl Bainbridge, Injury Time
1976  William Trevor, The Children of Dynmouth
1975  William McIlvanney, Docherty
1974  Iris Murdoch, The Sacred & Profane Love Machine
1973  Shiva Naipaul, The Chip-Chip Gatherers
1972  Susan Hill, The Bird of Night
1971  Gerda Charles, The Destiny Waltz


Biography

2009  Graham Farmelo, The Strangest Man
2008  Diana Athill, Somewhere Towards the End
2007  Simon Sebag Montefiore, Young Stalin
2006  Brian Thompson, Keeping Mum 2005Biography - Hilary Spurling, Matisse the Master
2004  John Guy, My Heart is My Own: The Life of Mary Queen of Scots
2003  D. J. Taylor, Orwell: The Life
2002  Claire Tomalin, Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self
2001  Diana Souhami, Selkirk's Island
2000  Lorna Sage, Bad Blood: A Memoir
1999  David Cairns, Berlioz Volume Two: Servitude and Greatness
1998  Amanda Foreman, Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire
1997  Graham Robb, Victor Hugo
1996  Diarmaid MacCulloch, Thomas Cranmer: A Life
1995  Roy Jenkins, Gladstone
1994  Brenda Maddox, D H Lawrence: The Married Man
1993  Andrew Motion, Philip Larkin: A Writer’s Life
1992  Victoria Glendinning, Trollope
1991  John Richardson, A Life of Picasso
1990  Ann Thwaite, AA Milne: His Life
1989  Richard Holmes, Coleridge: Early Visions
1988  A. N. Wilson, Tolstoy
1987  Christopher Nolan, Under the Eye of the Clock
1986  Richard Mabey, Gilbert White
1985  Ben Pimlott, Hugh Dalton
1984  Peter Ackroyd, T S Eliot
1983  Victoria Glendinning, Vita
         - Kenneth Rose, King George V
1982  Edward Crankshaw, Bismarck
1981  Nigel Hamilton, Monty: The Making of a General
1980  David Newsome, On the Edge of Paradise: A C Benson the Diarist
1979  Penelope Mortimer, About Time
1978  John Grigg, Lloyd George: The People's Champion
1977  Nigel Nicolson, Mary Curzon
1976  Winifred Gerin, Elizabeth Gaskell
1975  Helen Corke, In Our Infancy
1974  Andrew Boyle, Poor Dear Brendan
1973  John Wilson, CB: A Life of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman
1972  James Pope-Hennessy, Anthony Trollope
1971  Geoffrey Hill, Mercian Hymn

Poetry

2009  Christopher Reid, A Scattering
2008  Adam Foulds, The Broken Word
2007  Jean Sprackland, Tilt
2006  John Haynes, Letter to Patience
2005  Christopher Logue, Cold Calls
2004  Michael Symmons Roberts, Corpus
2003  Don Paterson, Landing Light
2002  Paul Farley, The Ice Age
2001  Selima Hill, Bunny
2000  John Burnside, The Asylum Dance
1999  Seamus Heaney, Beowulf
1998  Ted Hughes, Birthday Letters
1997  Ted Hughes, Tales from Ovid
1996  Seamus Heaney, The Spirit Level
1995  Bernard O’Donoghue, Gunpowder
1994  James Fenton, Out of Danger
1993  Carol Ann Duffy, Mean Time
1992  Tony Harrison, The Gaze of the Gorgon
1991  Michael Longley, Gorse Fires
1990  Paul Durcan, Daddy, Daddy
1989  Michael Donaghy, Shibboleth
1988  Peter Porter, The Automatic Oracle
1987  Seamus Heaney, The Haw Lantern
1986  Peter Reading, Stet
1985  Douglas Dunn, Elegies
1984    no award
1983    no award
1982    no award
1981    no award
1980    no award
1979    no award
1978    no award
1977    no award
1976    no award
1975    no award
1974    no award               
1973    no award
1972    no award
1971  Geoffrey Hill, Mercian Hymn

Children's Book

2009  Patrick Ness, The Ask and the Answer (Chaos Walking, Book Two)
2008  Michelle Magorian, Just Henry
2007  Ann Kelley, The Bower Bird
2006  Linda Newbery, Set in Stone
2005  Kate Thompson, The New Policeman
2004  Geraldine McCaughrean, Not the End of the World
2003  David Almond, The Fire-Eaters
2002  Hilary McKay, Saffy's Angel
2001  Philip Pullman, The Amber Spyglass
2000  Jamila Gavin, Coram Boy
1999  J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
1998  David Almond, Skellig
1997  Andrew Norriss, Aquila
1996  Anne Fine, The Tulip Touch
1995  Michael Morpurgo, The Wreck of the Zanzibar
1994  Geraldine McCaughrean, Gold Dust
1993  Anne Fine, Flour Babies
1992  Gillian Cross, The Great Elephant Chase
1991  Diana Hendry, Harvey Angell
1990  Peter Dickinson, AK
1989  Hugh Scott, Why Weeps the Brogan?
1988  Judy Allen, Awaiting Developments
1987  Geraldine McCaughrean, A Little Lower than the Angels
1986  Andrew Taylor, The Coal House
1985  Janni Howker, The Nature of the Beast
1984  Barbara Willard, The Queen of the Pharisees' Children
1983  Roald Dahl, The Witches
1982  W J Corbett, The Song of Pentecost
1981  Jane Gardam, The Hollow Land
1980  Leon Garfield, John Diamond
1979 Peter Dickinson, Tulku
1978  Philippa Pearce, The Battle of Bubble & Squeak
1977  Shelagh Macdonald, No End to Yesterday
1976  Penelope Lively, A Stitch in Time
1975       no award
1974  Russell Hoban & Quentin Blake, How Tom Beat Captain Najork & His Hired Sportsmen
         - Jill Paton Walsh, The Emperor's Winding Sheet
1973  Alan Aldridge & William Plomer, The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast
1972  Rumer Godden, The Diddakoi