Edmund Richardson Wins the 2026 Baillie Gifford Prize for Alexander Biography

Historian Edmund Richardson has won the 2026 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction for Alexander: God, King, Man, a new biography of Alexander the Great. The winner was announced on 4 November at a ceremony at BMA House in London, and Richardson receives £50,000, the prize organisers said.

It is the first time the award, founded as the Samuel Johnson Prize in 1999, has gone to a book about ancient history. It is also Richardson’s first major prize. The judges chose the book from more than 350 eligible titles published between 1 November 2025 and 31 October 2026.

What Is Alexander: God, King, Man About?

The book tells the story of Alexander, the Macedonian king who led history’s biggest military campaign and built an empire stretching from Greece to the Indian subcontinent, before dying in Babylon at 32. Richardson draws on new technology and recent archaeological discoveries, and the organisers describe the book as “a love letter to the humanities and the work of historians and archaeologists”.

“Alexander: God, King, Man is non-fiction writing at its very best: a book that, like its subject, can’t stop pressing onward,” said Kirsty Lang, the broadcaster who chaired the judges. “It’s blockbuster history with page-turning narrative pull.” The panel also included Waterstones head of books Bea Carvalho, cultural historian Tiffany Jenkins, The Spectator’s literary editor Sam Leith, journalist Ravi Mattu and novelist Elif Shafak.

Who Won the 2026 Goldsmiths Prize?

In the same week, China Miéville won the £10,000 Goldsmiths Prize for The Rouse, announced at Foyles in central London on 5 November. At more than 1,200 pages, it is the longest novel ever to win the prize, which celebrates “fiction at its most novel”. Miéville has called it “the defining book of my life”.

“In terms of ambition, bold use of history, linguistic experiment and sheer scale,” it “broke most explosively with expectation,” said Francis Spufford, chair of the judges. Judge Hari Kunzru described it as a book that combines a history of Britain’s postcolonial entanglements with speculation about what lies “beyond the veil” of death. The shortlist also included Polly Barton, Doireann Ní Ghríofa, Keith Ridgway, Aea Varfis-van Warmelo and Missouri Williams.

Which Other Book Prizes Were Announced This Week?

• Prix Goncourt (France): Philippe Jaenada won France’s most prestigious literary prize on 3 November for L’Inconnue du quai de Javel, a true-crime novel about the unsolved 1949 murder of the Paris artists’ model Louise Cansot, The Guardian reported.
• American Library in Paris Book Award: Jane Rogoyska won on 5 November for Hotel Exile: Paris in the Shadow of War, a history of the Hotel Lutetia from 1933 to 1945, with a $5,000 prize.
• Grateful American Book Prize: Jennifer Robin Barr won the $13,000 award on 5 November for Thunder and Mercy, a middle-grade historical novel.

This year’s Goncourt was overshadowed by a row over artificial intelligence. The Académie Goncourt withdrew Thélyson Orélien’s novel C’était ça ou mourir from its longlist after allegations that it was “almost entirely” written by AI, which the author denies, The Guardian reported. The debate follows other recent disputes over AI and authors’ rights.

How Can Readers Find the Winning Books?

Prize winners usually see a jump in sales, and all three English-language winners are widely available in bookshops and libraries. Readers can also try our tips on how to read more books or start a book club. Earlier this autumn, the Cundill History Prize also went to a work of history.

Featured image: Bookshelves at the New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, by Davide Cantelli / Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

Sources

• Baillie Gifford Prize — The Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction announces Edmund Richardson as the 2026 winner (4 November 2026).
• Goldsmiths, University of London — China Miéville’s The Rouse wins the 2026 Goldsmiths Prize (5 November 2026).
• The Guardian — True crime novel about 1949 murder of Paris life model wins France’s biggest literary prize (3 November 2026).
• American Library in Paris — Hotel Exile by Jane Rogoyska wins the 2026 American Library in Paris Book Award (5 November 2026).
• Grateful American Book Prize — Jennifer Robin Barr wins 2026 Grateful American Book Prize for Thunder and Mercy (6 November 2026).