Edmund Richardson wins Baillie Gifford Prize for Alexander book

Culture · First reported 4 Nov, 22:14 · Updated 04:52

Image: Wikimedia Commons · Rekia1991 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Edmund Richardson’s Alexander: God, King, Man won the 2026 Baillie Gifford Prize for non-fiction. The book is the prize’s first ancient-history winner since the award began in 1999.

Richardson, a Durham University classics professor, received the £50,000 prize for his book on Alexander the Great.
The book follows Alexander from taking the throne at 20 to his death in Babylon at 32.
Richardson researched the book for more than a decade across four continents and translated material from 12 ancient languages.
It was selected from a six-book shortlist, drawn from more than 350 eligible titles.

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Key facts

Winner: Edmund Richardson, for Alexander: God, King, Man
Prize: £50,000
Award distinction: First ancient-history book to win since the prize began in 1999
Research: More than a decade, across four continents; sources from 12 ancient languages
Eligible books: More than 350