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Pretor-Pinney wins Royal Science prize

18.11.11 | Katie Allen

The 2011 Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books has been awarded to Gavin Pretor-Pinney’s The Wavewatcher’s Companion, described by judges as “a book of old-fashioned charm and wit”.

The £10,000 prize was presented to the Bloomsbury author at a ceremony last night (17th November). It is the first year that the 13-year-old prize has been sponsored by Winton Capital Management, in a new five-year deal.

Richard Holmes, chair of judges, said: “Popular science is an increasingly important genre, and this is an increasingly important prize . . . [The Wavewatcher’s Companion] use[s] relatively straight-forward science to transform our perspective on the world around us, both visible and invisible, in a completely radical way.

"It is a book of old-fashioned charm and wit, provocatively organised and illustrated, and marvellously deft with its presentation of hard modern science. In short, it is a delightful winner.”



A £1,000 prize was also awarded to each of the shortlisted authors.

• Gavin Pretor-Pinney
• Katie Allen
• Prizes
• Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books
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