2001 Lukas Prize Winners

David Nasaw

Entry title: The Chief: The Life of William Randolph Hearst, Houghton Mifflin Company

Awarded: 2001, The J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize

"In a measured, sympathetic, but politically detached narrative, Nasaw manages to take the well-known, myth-enshrouded life of Hearst, and retell it freshly. In addition to painting a brilliantly complex portrait of this fascinating American titan, Nasaw also deftly uses Hearst's life to shed new light on the emergence of America's modern entertainment and information industries. Years in the making, this is an extraordinary work of narrative non-fiction that pays tribute to both the concerns and the impeccable professional standards of Anthony Lukas."

Honorable Mention

Two finalists were also noted: The Informant by Kurt Eichenwald, Broadway Books, and Book of Honor by Ted Gup, Doubleday.

Jurors

Jurors for the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize were Alex Kotlowitz (The Other Side of the River: A Story of Two Towns, a Death, and America's Dilemma), Jane Mayer (Strange Justice: The Selling of Clarence Thomas), and Isabel Wilkerson (Pulitzer Prize-winning writer)

Fred Anderson

Entry title: Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754-1766, Knopf

Awarded: 2001, The Mark Lynton History Prize

"In this deeply-researched and lively narrative, Anderson vividly recreates the people and politics in the struggle for control of North America involving Britain, France, and powerful Indian entities such as the Iroquois League. He demonstrates that Americans neither anticipated nor desired independence at war's end and focuses our attention on the worldwide conflict of the mid-eighteenth century."

Honorable Mention

A finalist was also noted: Ho Chi Minh by William Duiker, Hyperion.

Jurors

Jurors for the Mark Lynton History Prize were Eric Foner (The Story of American Freedom), David Kertzer (The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara), and Karen Ordahl Kupperman (Indians and English: Facing Off in Early America)

Max Holland

Entry title: A Need to Know: Inside the Warren Commission, to be published by Houghton Mifflin

Awarded: 2001, The J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award

Judges found the book "both a worthy and an ideal candidate for a J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award: a deeply researched work of contemporary history . . . requiring a combination of journalistic and scholarly skills peculiar to the writing of narrative history, which promises to break new ground on a subject of pressing public significance."

Honorable Mention

A finalist was also noted: Elinor Langer for Death of Mulageta Seraw, to be published by HarperCollins.

Jurors

Jurors for the J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award were Nancy Hicks Maynard (Maynard Partners Inc.), Thomas Powers (Heisenberg's War), and Rebecca Sinkler (former editor of The New York Times Book Review)