Alexander Biography Wins First Ancient-History Baillie Gifford Prize

Edmund Richardson’s Alexander: God, King, Man won the 2026 Baillie Gifford Prize for nonfiction, making it the first ancient-history book to receive the award. The biography follows Alexander from taking the Macedonian throne at 20 through his conquests across the Persian Empire to his death in Babylon at 32. Judges praised its immersive, novel-like storytelling and its combination of new technology, archaeological discoveries and research drawn from sources in 12 ancient languages. Richardson, a Durham University classics professor, spent more than a decade researching the book across four continents; he will receive £50,000.