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A biography of Charles II, an angling memoir and a guide to the world of mathematics are three of the titles to have made the BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction 2010 shortlist. In yet another strong prize showing for indies four of the six shortlisted titles are published by independent presses: Profile, Faber, Granta, and Atlantic.
Debut author Andrew Ross Sorkin is on the shortlist for his title Too Big to Fail (Penguin, Allen Lane). Other authors to have made the shortlist of six include Alex Bellos for
Alex’s Adventures in Numberland and Jenny Uglow for A Gambling Man. Barbara Demick, Luke Jennings, and Richard Wrangham are also on the list.
Evan Davis, chair of the judges, economist, and presenter of Radio 4 Today, said: "We did have a number of arguments in our deliberations, but we've settled on an extraordinarily eclectic selection of books which defies simplistic categorisation. There is something for everyone, whether it be maths or fishing. Perhaps the only common feature of these books is the passion and sheer enthusiasm of the authors for their subjects."
Along with Davis the judging panel (pictured) comprised Jan Dalley, writer and arts editor of the Financial Times; Daniel Finkelstein, executive editor of The Times; Roger Highfield, editor of New Scientist; Stella Tillyard, author and historian.
The judges will announce the winner of the prize at an awards ceremony on 1st July at the Royal Institute for British Architects (RIBA). The winner will receive £20,000, and each of the five shortlisted authors, £1,000.
The full shortlist is below:
Alex’s Adventures in Numberland by Alex Bellos (Bloomsbury)
Nothing to Envy: Real Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick (Granta)
Blood Knots by Luke Jennings (Atlantic Books)
Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin (Penguin, Allen Lane)
A Gambling Man by Jenny Uglow (Faber and Faber)
Catching Fire: How Cooking made us Human by Richard Wrangham (Profile Books)