Samuel Johnson prize 2009
'The whale turned and looked at me, eye to eye. It was the most disconcerting moment of my life. That night, I couldn't close my eyes. Every time I did, the whale swam into my head. It has yet to leave my dreams'
The week in books
The week in books
Extract from Philip Hoare's Leviathan
From the writer's study of whales, winner of the Samuel Johnson prize for non-fiction
'Classic' study of whales wins Samuel Johnson prize
Philip Hoare's Leviathan wins Britain's most important prize for non-fiction
Bad Science is good bet for Samuel Johnson prize
Ben Goldacre's polemical attack on pseudo-science, already a bestseller, is 2/1 favourite to take the non-fiction award
The week in books
The week in booksOpera, from Wales to the world; a little heavyweight reading; and Hay heads for Beirut
Big names edged out in science-heavy Samuel Johnson prize shortlist
Shortlist for the £20,000 prize for non-fiction books shows strong bias towards 'scientific discovery and scientific malpractice'
Science dominates Samuel Johnson prize longlist
'Tremendously wide-ranging' longlist covers everything from quantum theory to quack medicine
