Dr Charlotte Riley Wins Prestigious Prize

History’s Charlotte Lydia Riley has won a very prestigious award from the American Historical Association. The prize is for her the American edition of her book, Imperial Island: An Alternative History of the British Empire (Harvard University Press, 2024). The prize is the Herbert Baxter Adams Prize for an author’s first book in European history from 1815 through the 20th century. The Awards ceremony will take place in Chicago, January 2026.

The American Historical Association offers the Herbert Baxter Adams Prize annually for a distinguished book published in English in the field of European history. The Adams Prize and the Leo Gershoy Award (also bestowed by the AHA) are widely considered to be the most prestigious prizes in the field of European history.

The prize is offered on a rotating basis: in even years for books on European history from ancient times to 1815; in odd years for books on European history from 1815 through the 20th century. The current prize amount is $1,000.

For more information on the prize click here: https://www.historians.org/award-grant/herbert-baxter-adams-prize/