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The Telegraph has two pieces on the Samuel Johnson Prize, from judges' chair Rosie Boycott and a second from past winner Antony Beevor. "We chose the shortlist carefully," writes Boycott, who gives little hint which of the shortlisted titles is her favourite. "Choosing a winner is going to be a difficult task."
Winning the first Samuel Johnson Prize was everything a writer could hope for, writes Beevor. It had a huge effect on sales, pushing the book on to become a number one bestseller in paperback as well as in hardback. It also had a great influence abroad, leading to 29 foreign editions. Since then, the BBC Four Samuel Johnson Prize has gone from strength to strength.
The winner of the BBC Four Samuel Johnson Prize will be announced in the Ballroom of the Royal Festival Hall at the Southbank Centre on 15th July. The winner receives £30,000, and each of the five shortlisted authors, £1,000.