The Lakeland Book of the Year, also known as the Hunter Davies Lakeland Book of the Year[1] is an award given annually for a book "set in or featuring Cumbria in some way", and is named for the Lake District of north west England. It was founded by writer Hunter Davies in 1984 and is administered by Cumbria Tourism. Davies was one of the judges from 1984 to 2022.[2] In 2023, following Davies's retirement from the role, the judges were Fiona Armstrong, Eric Robson, Michael McGregor, director of Wordsworth Grasmere, and "guest judge" Rachel Laverack from Cumbria County Council.[3] The prizes are traditionally announced at a gala lunch in June, although in 2020 the proceedings took place online because of COVID-19.[4][5]
There are a number of awards for specific categories of books, and an overall winner is selected as the "Book of the Year". From the 2021 competition (for books published in 2020), the categories were:[4]
- Fiction
- Guides and Places
- Illustration and Presentation
- Landscape and Tradition
- Literature and Poetry
- People and Business
In 2023 a new prize for Children's Poem of the Year, sponsored by CGP Books was added, open to Cumbrian schoolchildren between key stages 2 and 5.[3]
Winners
Year | Author | Title | Publisher & ISBN | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1984 joint[6] | Automobile Association and Ordnance Survey | AA/OS Guide to the Lake District | AA/OS ISBN 978-0861451920 | |
1984 joint[6] | Mary E. Burkett & David Sloss | William Green of Ambleside: Lake District Artist (1760-1823) | Abbot Hall Art Gallery ISBN 978-0950333540 | on William Green |
1985[7] | Alfred Wainwright with photographs by Derry Brabbs | Fellwalking with Wainwright | Michael Joseph ISBN 9780718124281 | 18 favourite walks; new ed published 2006 |
1986/87 joint[6] | Peter Thornton | Lakeland from the Air | Dalesman ISBN 978-0852068502 | with foreword by Alfred Wainwright |
1986/87 joint[6] | Trevor Haywood | Walking with a Camera in Herries' Lakeland | Fountain Press ISBN 978-0863430237 | referring to Hugh Walpole's Herries Chronicles |
1988[8] | Molly Lefebure | The Bondage of Love – A Life of Mrs Samuel Taylor Coleridge | Victor Gollancz ISBN 0-575-03871-3 | on the poet's wife Sara Fricker |
1989[6] | Enid Wilson | Country Diary | Hodder & Stoughton ISBN 0-340-41522-3 | Wilson wrote for "Country Diary" in The Guardian for 30 years |
1990[7][6] | Vivian Russell | Dream gardens: discovering the gardens of the Lake District | Century ISBN 9780712629126 | |
1991[6] | David Clifford (ed) | The Diaries of Lady Anne Clifford | Sutton ISBN 9780750931786 | editor is a descendant of Lady Anne |
1992[6] | Alan Hankinson | Coleridge Walks the Fells: A Lakeland Journey Retraced | Ellenbank ISBN 978-1873551004 | retracing Coleridge's 1802 9-day walk[9] |
1993[6] | Iain Peters & Colin Shelbourn | Rocky Rambler's Wild Walker | Cicerone ISBN 978-1852843472 | 10 Lake District walks for children |
1994[10] | Grevel Lindop | A Literary Guide to the Lake District | Chatto & Windus ISBN 9780701161620 | a 3rd ed was published in 2015 |
1995[6] | John Heelis | The Tale of Mrs. William Heelis | Sutton ISBN 978-0750921251 | author's great-uncle was Beatrix Potter's husband William Heelis[11] |
1996[6] | June Thistlethwaite | Cumbrian Women Remember: Lake District Life in the Early 1900s | Sutton ISBN 978-1873551127 | |
1997[6] | Andrew Wilson | A President's Love Affair with the Lake District: Woodrow Wilson's Second Home | Lakeland Press Agency ISBN 9780952855002 | on Woodrow Wilson's visits to the area: his mother was born in Carlisle[12] |
1998[6] | Mary E. Burkett & Valerie M. Rickerby | Percy Kelly: a Cumbrian Artist | Skiddaw ISBN 978-0952835622 | on Percy Kelly |
1999[13] | Gil and Pat Hitchon | Sam Bough, RSA: the Rivers in Bohemia | Book Guild ISBN 978-1857762303 | on Carlisle-born Sam Bough RSA |
2000[14] | A. Harry Griffin | The Coniston Tigers: Seventy Years of Mountain Adventure | Sigma Leisure ISBN 9781850587132 | autobiography |
2001[5] | John & Eileen Malden | Rex Malden's Whitehaven | Try Malden ISBN 9780953925704 | photographs by John Malden's father, vicar of Whitehaven[15] |
2002[16] | Ian Tyler | Cumbrian Mining | Blue Rock ISBN 978-0952302865 | in 2002 the author ran the Threlkeld Quarry and Mining Museum |
2003[17] | Cumbria Bird Club | The Breeding Birds of Cumbria: A Tetrad Atlas 1997-2001 | Cumbria Bird Club ISBN 978-0954324902 | Cumbria Bird Club |
2004[18] | Martin Varley | Lakeland life in the 1940s and 1950s : the photographs of Gwen Bertelsman | Halsgrove ISBN 978-1841142777 | Gwen Bertelsman ("Bertlesman" in many sources) died in 1994[19] |
2005[20] | Jane Renouf | The Lake Artists Society: 1904-2004 - A Centenary Celebration | Lake Artists Society ISBN 978-0954678500 | on the Lake Artists Society |
2006[21] | Chris Crowder; photographs by Vivian Russell | The Garden at Levens | Frances Lincoln ISBN 978-0711224346 | on Levens Hall |
2007[22] | Linda Lear | Beatrix Potter: A Life In Nature | Penguin ISBN 978-0141003108 | on Beatrix Potter |
2008[23] | Tim Longville; photographs by Val Corbett | Gardens of the Lake District | Frances Lincoln ISBN 9780711227132 | |
2009[24] | Keith Richardson | Ivver Sen: Lake District: The Life and Times of the Men and Women Who Work the Land | River Greta Writer ISBN 978-0955964008 | title means "Ever since" in Cumbrian dialect |
2010[25] | Chris Wadsworth | Hercules and the Farmer’s Wife; And Other Stories from a Cumbrian Art Gallery | Aurum Press ISBN 978-1845135546 | by owner of the Castlegate House Art Gallery in Cockermouth |
2011[26] | Cate Haste | Sheila Fell: a Passion for Paint | Lund Humphries ISBN 978-0853319795 | on Sheila Fell |
2012 joint[27][28] | David Cross | Dear Mary, Love Percy: A Creative Thread - The Illustrated Letters of Percy Kelly to Mary Burkett 1968-1993 | Skiddaw Press ISBN 978-0955964022 | letters from Percy Kelly to Mary Burkett |
2012 joint[27] | Keith Richardson & Val Corbett | Jack's Yak: A Unique Journey Through Time with the Special Trees of the Lake District and Cumbria and the Remarkable Stories They Have to Tell | River Greta Writer ISBN 978-0955964022 | the title tree is an oak ("yak") on the Lowther estate |
2013[29][30] | Stephen Matthews | A Lazy Tour in Cumberland | Bookcase ISBN 9781904147688 | when Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens visited in 1857 and wrote The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices |
2014[31] | Simon Temple-Bennett | Undressed for Dinner | Hayloft ISBN 9781904524984 | on turning Augill Castle into a hotel |
2015[32][33] | James Rebanks | The Shepherd's Life: A Tale of the Lake District | Allen Lane ISBN 9781846148545 | on sheep farming in Matterdale |
2016[34] | Robert Beale & Richard Kirkman | Lakeland Waterways: a history of travel along the English Lakes | Lily ISBN 9781907945861 | Beale is a Windermere Lake Cruises skipper[35] |
2017[36] | Rory Stewart | The Marches: Border Walks With My Father | Jonathan Cape ISBN 978-0224097680 | a walk through the Scottish Marches |
2018[1] | Phil Rigby | Portrait of Cumbria: Life and Landscape | CN Group ISBN 9781999771201 | photographs |
2019[4] | Alan Cleaver & Lesley Park | The Corpse Roads of Cumbria | Chitty Mouse Press ISBN 978-1999671808 | on corpse roads |
2020[37] | David Felton, Evelyn Sinclair & Andrew Chapman | The Lake District in 101 Maps and Infographics | Jake Island ISBN 978-1999894030 | Announced online 30 June 2020, no gala lunch event, because of COVID-19.[4] "The graphics cover just about everything people want to know or think they know about the Lakes".[38] |
2021[39] | Grace Dent | Hungry: A Memoir of Wanting More | HarperCollins ISBN 9780008333188 | autobiography |
2022[2] | Roger Lytollis | Panic as Man Burns Crumpets: The Vanishing World of the Local Journalist | Robinson ISBN 978-1472145796 | autobiography |
2023[40] | Amy Bateman | Forty Farms: Conversations about change in the landscapes of Cumbria | Jake Island ISBN 978-1915513014 | photography |
2024[41] | Polly Atkin | Some Of Us Just Fall | Sceptre ISBN 9781399717984 | memoir |
References
- ^ a b "Photographer takes top accolade at Lakeland Book of the Year Awards". James Cropper plc. 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- ^ a b "Lakeland Book of the Year 2022 winners revealed". The Mail. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- ^ a b williamson, John (25 January 2023). "New-look Lakeland Book of the Year expands for 2023". Bay Trust Radio. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Lakeland Book of the Year". Cumbria Tourism. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- ^ a b Leckey, Susan (2015). "Lakeland Book of the Year Awards". The Europa Directory of Literary Awards and Prizes. Routledge. p. 158. ISBN 978-1-135-35632-3. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- ^ a b "Time running out for Lakeland Book of Year entries". Cumberland & Westmorland Herald. 9 March 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
Previous winners of the Lakeland Book of the Year have included Alfred Wainwright, 1985
- ^ "Author dies weeks before screening of drama". www.cwherald.com. 22 March 2013. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- ^ Patterson, Mark (5 March 2019). "Chasing Coleridge". Wordsworth - Grasmere. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
- ^ Lindop, Grevel (2005). A Literary Guide to the Lake District (2nd ed.). Sigma Leisure. p. ix. ISBN 978-1-85058-821-4. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
- ^ Weideger, Paula (6 October 1993). "Tales of the real Beatrix Potter". The Independent. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
Brigadier John Heelis ... has just finished a biography of Beatrix Potter ... her husband, who was his great-uncle William.
- ^ "An American President's Love Affair with the English Lake District - by Andrew Wilson". www.dedicate.co.uk. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
- ^ "Lakeland Book of the Year award winners". Cumberland & Westmorland Herald. 19 June 1999. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
- ^ Buckley, Norman (1994). Lakeland Walking: On the Level. Sigma Leisure. ISBN 9781850583899. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
- ^ "Cumbria captured on camera in 30s and 40s". Cumbria & Westmorland Herald. 23 August 2003. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ "Ian wins Lakeland Book of the Year". Cumberland & Westmorland Herald. 29 June 2002. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ "The Breeding Birds of Cumbria: a tetrad atlas 1997-2001". www.cumbriabirdclub.org.uk. Cumbria Bird Club. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
Our Atlas has won the ... Lakeland Book of the Year 2003.
- ^ "Wild Lakeland". www.halsgrove.com. Halsgrove. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
Martin Varley ... was the editor of Lakeland Life in the '40s and '50s ... which won the Lakeland Book of the Year Award in 2004.
- ^ "Landscape and life of the Lake District". Cumbria & Westmorland Herald. 4 October 2003. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
Gwen Bertelsman left few possessions when she died in 1994...
- ^ "The Lake Artists Society: 1904-2004 - A Centenary Celebration". www.bookscumbria.com. Books Cumbria. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ "First Time Author Wins Lakeland Book of Year Prize". Cumbria & Westmorland Herald. 24 June 2006. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ "Beatrix Potter biography wins Lakeland bookof the year award". Cumberland & Westmorland Herald. 29 June 2007. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ "Lakeland Book of the Year announced". Whitehaven News. 9 July 2008. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ "River Greta Writer titles win Lakeland Awards". River Greta Writer. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ "Cockermouth author wins Lakeland book of year award". Times and Star. 9 July 2010. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ "Lady Bragg wins 2011 Lakeland Book of the Year". The Westmorland Gazette. 5 July 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ a b "Keswick author is joint winner of Lakeland Book of the Year". Cumberland & Westmorland Herald. 13 July 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
- ^ "Letters reveal more about Cumbrian artist". Cumberland & Westmorland Herald. 25 November 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
- ^ "A Lazy Tour in Cumberland". www.bookscumbria.com. Books Cumbria. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
- ^ "Maryport Literary Festival". Grevel Lindop. 7 November 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
Steven Matthews ... Winner of this year's Lakeland Book of the Year Award...
- ^ "Lakeland Book of the Year winners revealed". The Bookseller. 16 July 2014. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
- ^ "Lakeland Book of the Year 2015 winners revealed". James Cropper plc. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
- ^ "Lakeland Book of the Year Awards at the Inn on the Lake". Lake District Hotels Blog. 17 July 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
- ^ "Lakeland Book of the Year 2016 Winners Revealed". Cumbria Tourism. 7 July 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
- ^ "Annual Cumbrian Literary Awards". Cumbria Tourism. 27 January 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
- ^ "Rory Stewart is the 33rd Lakeland Book of the Year Winner". James Cropper plc. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
- ^ "Lakeland Book of the Year 2020". Cumbria Tourism. Retrieved 3 July 2020. Youtube video of the online event: announcement is at 33mins
- ^ Addison, Mike (7 December 2019). "New book answers hundreds of questions about the Lake District". The Westmorland Gazette. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
- ^ "Lakeland Book of the Year Hungry for Success". James Cropper PLC. October 2021. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
- ^ "Lakeland Book of the Year". www.cumbriatourism.org. Cumbria Tourism. 12 July 2023. Archived from the original on 15 July 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
- ^ "Landmark 40th Lakeland Book of the Year winners revealed". www.cumbriatourism.org. Cumbria Tourism. 10 July 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2024.