27 September 2022
We are thrilled to announce that Spike by Jeremy Farrar with Anjana Ahuja and The Greywacke by Nick Davidson have been shortlisted for the 2022 Royal Society Science Book Prize, which recognises the best popular science writing from around the world. From 219 submissions, we are particularly proud that Profile makes up two of the six shortlisted titles. The winner of the Prize will be revealed at a ceremony on 29th November.
Read on for the judging panel’s comments on our shortlisted books.
Maria Fitzgerald on Jeremy Farrar and Anjana Ahuja’s Spike:
‘On New Year’s Eve 2019, while most of us were lifting a glass to see the new year in, Jeremy Farrar, world expert in global infectious diseases, received a personal call about a cluster of cases of a new pneumonia in Wuhan in China. Farrar’s account of what followed as the coronavirus pandemic unfolded is told in Spike, a rollercoaster story of intrigue, politics and human error that reads like a thriller. Farrar, who was present at the heart of government decision-making on Covid-19 and Ahuja, a talented science writer, lead us on an exciting and pacy journey, chilling in its honesty but intensely readable.’
Kate Humble on Nick Davidson’s The Greywacke:
‘Gloriously reminiscent of the traditional science books of days past, and full of intrigue and colour, The Greywacke vividly brings to life a remarkable Victorian geological discovery. Through the eyes of three unlikely and fascinating central characters, the reader is swept along in a book which is as captivating and theatrical as a novel; you could be a complete newcomer to the subject matter of geology and take a lot away from this. Ultimately a really exciting and digestible format for what may seem a niche topic.’
