Books by Edmund Richardson

“’Tis strange—but true; for truth is always strange; stranger than fiction,” wrote Lord Byron. For more than a quarter of a century, the Baillie Gifford Prize has celebrated the best nonfiction book of the year. Broadcaster Kirsty Lang, chair of this year’s judging panel, talks us through the six books shortlisted for the 2026 prize, from Alexander the Great to Barbara Cartland.