The winner of the 2026 #CundillHistoryPrize is…

Beth Lew-Williams for ‘John Doe Chinaman: A Forgotten History of Chinese Life Under American Racial Law’, published by @Harvard_Press.

"A dazzlingly innovative and hard-hitting work.” - Emily Greenwood, 2026 Chair of the Jury

Congratulations to Beth Lew-Williams, whose book John Doe Chinaman has been awarded the 2026 Cundill History Prize! 🎉 🥳

John Doe Chinaman is a revelatory history of the laws that conditioned the everyday lives of Chinese people in the American West—

And the real people who d, and resisted discrimination.

Keep reading: hup.harvard.edu/books/97806742…

@CundillPrize

We’re looking back at last Friday’s #CundillHistoryPrize awards ceremony, where Beth Lew-Williams was announced as our 2026 winner for ‘John Doe Chinaman: A Forgotten History of Chinese Life Under American Racial Law’, published by @Harvard_Press! ✨

Thoroughly enjoyed talking to CBC about “The First Ghetto” alongside the other @CundillPrize finalists - do have a listen!

@GeorginaCapel @picadorbooks @BasicBooks

cbc.ca/player/play/au…

This year’s @CundillPrize Festival got off to a smashing start tonight with a fabulous lecture from Lyndal Roper on the German Peasants’ War.

Historical scholarship at its finest - a real delight to hear.

Our first 2026 #CundillHistoryPrizeJurors’ Take focuses on ‘Korean Messiah: Kim Il Sung and the Christian Roots of North Korea’, by @JChengWSJ, published by @AAKnopf 📚

Meet this year’s finalists:
cundillprize.com/news/the-2026-…

#CundillHistoryPrize

Meet the 2026 #CundillHistoryPrize finalists! ✨

📍‘Korean Messiah’ By @JChengWSJ | @AAKnopf

📍‘The First Ghetto’ By @alexander_c_lee | @picadorbooks @panmacmillan

📍‘John Doe Chinaman’ By Beth Lew-Williams | @Harvard_Press

Find out more:
cundillprize.com/news/the-2026-…

Next up on the 2026 #CundillHistoryPrize shortlist is ‘John Doe Chinaman: A Forgotten History of Chinese Life Under American Racial Law’, by Beth Lew-Williams, published by @Harvard_Press

'Deeply researched and profoundly compelling” - Steven Hahn

cundillprize.com/news/the-2026-…

Today on the 2026 #CundillHistoryPrize shortlist spotlight we have ‘We the People: A History of the US Constitution’, by Jill Lepore, published by @LiverightPub / @johnmurrays

'It’s a triumph of the head and the heart.’ - Cass R. Sunstein

cundillprize.com/news/the-2026-…

Today on the 2026 #CundillHistoryPrize shortlist spotlight we have ‘The First Ghetto: Venice and the Jews’, by Alexander Lee, published by @picadorbooks @panmacmillan / @BasicBooks

‘An engrossing tale of cruel prejudice and resilience’ - @thetimes

cundillprize.com/news/the-2026-…

Today's 2026 #CundillHistoryPrize shortlist spotlight is ‘Shattered Lands: Five Partitions and the Making of Modern Asia’, by @SamDalrymple123, published by @WmCollinsBooks

‘A sparkling debut by an outstanding young historian’ - Peter Frankopan

cundillprize.com/news/the-2026-…

Today on the 2026 #CundillHistoryPrize shortlist spotlight we have ‘Vanilla: The History of an Extraordinary Bean’, by Eric T. Jennings, published by @yalepress @YaleBooks

“Vanilla is a tour de force." - Alice L. Conklin, The Ohio State University

cundillprize.com/news/the-2026-…

Next up on the 2026 #CundillHistoryPrize shortlist is ‘Korean Messiah: Kim II Sung and the Christian Roots of North Korea’s Personality Cult’, by Jonathan Cheng, published by @AAKnopf

‘Highly original, deeply researched and cogently observed’ - Bruce Cumings, The New York Times

Discover the full 2026 #CundillHistoryPrize Shortlist:
cundillprize.com/news/the-2026-…

Discover the 2026 #CundillHistoryPrize shortlist: ‘The Fallen: The Magdalene Laundries and Ireland’s Legacy of Silence’, by Louise Brangan, published by @TheBodleyHead / @vintagebooks.

‘A superb if horrifying testament’ - John Banville, @guardian

cundillprize.com/news/the-2026-…

We're excited to announce the exceptional 8 titles chosen for the 2026 #CundillHistoryPrize shortlist!

Read the full list here:
cundillprize.com/news/the-2026-…

The 2026 Shortlist "uncovers histories that have been forgotten and silenced." — Emily Greenwood

Our final longlist spotlight of the 2026 #CundillHistoryPrize is ‘The Party’s Interests Come First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping’ by Joseph Torigian, published by @stanfordpress.

📍 The full 2026 longlist:
cundillprize.com/news/the-2026-…

Next up on our spotlight for the #CundillHistoryPrize 2026 longlist is ‘The African Kingdom of Gold: Britain and the Asante Treasure’ by Barnaby Phillips, published by @OneworldNews.

📍 The full 2026 longlist:
cundillprize.com/news/the-2026-…

Next up on our spotlight for the #CundillHistoryPrize 2026 longlist is ‘We The People: A History of the US Constitution’ by Jill Lepore, published by @LiverightPub and @johnmurrays.

📍 The full 2026 longlist:
cundillprize.com/news/the-2026-…

Next up on our spotlight for the #CundillHistoryPrize 2026 longlist is ‘The First Ghetto: Venice and the Jews’ by @alexander_c_lee, published by @picadorbooks @panmacmillan.

📍 The full 2026 longlist:
cundillprize.com/news/the-2026-…