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The judges for the 2006 Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ FOUR Samuel Johnson Prize announced the longlist today.

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The prize is the world's richest non-fiction prize and is worth Β£30,000 to the winner.

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From 127 entries and 41 call-ins, the 19 titles on the longlist range widely in interest and continue the reputation of the prize for diverse and thought-provoking books.

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The list includes:

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a flamboyant biography of a self-proclaimed Muslim prince;

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an engrossing account of Soviet-US relations from the Second World War to the collapse of the USSR;

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an intimate and personal reflection of a man's life written when he thought he was dying;

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a lively biography of the first domestic diva of the modern age, Mrs. Beeton;

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and an evocative 'blog' by an anonymous woman in war-torn Iraq.

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Professor Robert Winston, Chair of the judges, comments: "The judges were really delighted by the outstanding quality of the submissions for the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ FOUR Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction this year.

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"It is hardly surprising that drawing up a longlist was a very tough undertaking.

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"But we have read and chosen really excellent books - all outstandingly well-written - and the longlist contains an exceptionally wide variety of genres from modern to ancient history, politics, philosophy, science and art, biography and autobiography.

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"The books on this list will undoubtedly excite and entrance readers from all walks of life - but it looks as if finalising a shortlist is going to be excessively difficult."

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Robert Winston is joined by an engaging and dynamic panel of judges who offer a wide range of literary, journalistic and academic skills and experience.

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They are: theatre director and author Sir Richard Eyre; author and journalist Pankaj Mishra; novelist and columnist Cristina Odone; and Literary Editor of the Sunday Telegraph, Michael Prodger.

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The winner of The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ FOUR Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction 2006 will be announced at an awards dinner at the Savoy Hotel, London on Wednesday 14 June and will be broadcast live on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ FOUR.

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The longlist

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Former Winners

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1999 Stalingrad by Antony Beevor (Penguin)

2000 Berlioz: Servitude and Greatness by David Cairns (The Penguin Press)

2001 The Third Reich: A New History by Michael Burleigh (Macmillan)

2002 Peacemakers: The Paris Peace Conference of 1919 by Margaret Macmillan (John Murray)

2003 Pushkin: A biography by T.J.Binyon (HarperCollins)

2004 Stasiland by Anna Funder (Granta)

2005 Like a Fiery Elephant by Jonathan Coe (Picador)

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Notes to Editors

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The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ FOUR Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction is open to books in the areas of current affairs, history, politics, science, sport, travel, biography, autobiography and the arts.

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Books published in English by writers of any nationality are eligible for the prize, provided they are published in the UK between 1 May 2005 and 30 April 2006.

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The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ FOUR Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction is managed by a steering committee and administered by Colman Getty PR.

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The steering committee is made up of Stuart Proffitt, Chair (Publishing Director, Penguin), Antony Beevor (historian and author), Mark Bell (Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ FOUR), Peter Florence (Director of the Guardian Hay Festival), Martin Grindley (independent bookseller), Dotti Irving (Chief Executive, Colman Getty PR), Adam Kemp (Head of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Arts), Mervyn King (Governor, The Bank of England), James Naughtie (broadcaster, Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4's Today Programme), Alan Rusbridger (Editor, The Guardian), Peter Straus (literary agent, Rogers, Coleridge and White) and Martin Taylor (International Adviser for Goldman Sachs).

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Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ FOUR televises the awards ceremony and features complementary programming on the channel and online support at bbc.co.uk/four.

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Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ FOUR is a free-to-air, licence fee-funded channel which transmits daily from 7.00pm.

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KG

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