NEW DELHI: Historian William Dalrymple has been awarded the 2026 Mark Lynton History Prize for his book "The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World" for combining "literary grace, commitment to serious research and social concern".
The Mark Lynton History Prize is an annual USD 10,000 award given to a book "of history, on any subject, that best combines intellectual or scholarly distinction with felicity of expression".
The other finalist in the category was Siddharth Kara for "The Zorg: Tale of Greed and Murder That Inspired the Abolition of Slavery".
The jury comprised Scott Reynolds Nelson (chair), Geraldo Cadava, Ann Fabian, and Manisha Sinha.
"Dalrymple's 'The Golden Road' is a perspective-shifting book that places India at the centre of ancient Asian history. After Dalrymple, it will be difficult to discuss the Silk Road connecting China and the West without also considering the importance of the Golden Road, which spread India's influence west and east through trade, religion, and math," read The judges' citation.
The prize is one of three awards given as part of the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize, administered by the Nieman Foundation for Journalism and by the Columbia University School of Journalism.
The prize is named after the late Mark Lynton, a business executive and author of "Accidental Journey: A Cambridge Internee's Memoir of World War II".
Lynton was an avid proponent of the writing of history, and the Lynton family has sponsored the Lukas Prize Project since its inception.
On his win, Dalrymple said: "I am completely thrilled to win this wonderful prize, not least because previous winners include some of the historians I most admire: Adam Hochschild, Rebecca Solnit, Pekka Hamalainen, Jill Lepore, Kathleen Duval and Robert Caro."
Commenting on the achievement, Rahul Srivastava, Managing Director, Bloomsbury India, which published book, said, "The Golden Road" exemplifies the very best of historical writing - deeply researched, compellingly told, and globally relevant.
"This award is a testament not only to William's scholarship but also to the enduring significance of India's civilisational legacy in shaping the world," he said.