Mark Lynton History Prize
Nonfiction
1998 King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild
This book chronicles Belgian King Leopold II's conquest of the Congo Free State, a nation he colonized motivated by a desire for wealth and power. In the process, Leopold caused untold death, destruction, and despair, as well as the near obliteration of the country's natural resources. A New York Times Notable Book for 1998.
2000 Embracing Defeat by John W. Dower
This study of Japanese society shows how, after Japan's defeat in World War II, the Japanese reshaped their old traditions and incorporated new ideas from the West in a unique mix. They were thus well-positioned to participate in the emerging free-market opportunities.
2001 A Past in Hiding by Mark Roseman
This work focuses on the fascinating life of Marianne Strauss, a brave Jew who survived the many forms of Nazi persecution during the holocaust and the years leading to it. Through Strauss's journals and letters, Roseman discovers to what extent the powerful connections of Strauss's family could aid them, and where Marianne Strauss had to follow her own path to survive. Roseman sheds light on the process of compiling a history by comparing Strauss's accounts of her own life with those of others who knew her.
2009 Vermeer's Hat by Timothy Brook
Analyzes how the works of Vermeer reflect seventeenth-century life and the birth of globalization, in a historical study that identifies significant objects in key paintings while explaining how they also serve to document their time's growing web of trade throughout the world.