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| Whale tale wins non-fiction prize | Whale tale wins non-fiction prize |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| The story of a man's lifelong obsession with whales has won the £20,000 BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction. | The story of a man's lifelong obsession with whales has won the £20,000 BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction. |
| Leviathan, Or The Whale, traces British author Philip Hoare's fascination with the marine mammal, which he calls "a living thing past our comprehension". | Leviathan, Or The Whale, traces British author Philip Hoare's fascination with the marine mammal, which he calls "a living thing past our comprehension". |
| As he travels the world in pursuit of the creature, he compares his findings to Herman Melville's Moby Dick. | As he travels the world in pursuit of the creature, he compares his findings to Herman Melville's Moby Dick. |
| US journalist Jacob Weisberg, who led the panel, said Hoare's passion for his subject was infectious. | US journalist Jacob Weisberg, who led the panel, said Hoare's passion for his subject was infectious. |
| "What made Leviathan stand out in a shortlist of wonderful reads was Philip Hoare's lifelong passion for his subject and his skill in making his readers share it," he said. | |
| "His prose is dream-like and rises to the condition of literature." | |
| Threat | |
| In explaining his fascination, Mr Hoare said: "This wonderful mysterious creature so elusive. | |
| "They're so under threat from climate change, from noise pollution," he went on. | "They're so under threat from climate change, from noise pollution," he went on. |
| "Until 1859 the whole world was lit by whale oil. The impact of man on whale is extraordinary but also the impact of whale on man." | "Until 1859 the whole world was lit by whale oil. The impact of man on whale is extraordinary but also the impact of whale on man." |
| Named in honour of the 18th Century essayist, the Samuel Johnson Prize is open to English-language books from any country in the areas of current affairs, history, politics, science, sport, travel, biography, autobiography and the arts. | Named in honour of the 18th Century essayist, the Samuel Johnson Prize is open to English-language books from any country in the areas of current affairs, history, politics, science, sport, travel, biography, autobiography and the arts. |
| Last year's winner was Kate Summerscale, whose book, The Suspicions Of Mr Whicher, investigated the brutal murder of four-year-old Savile Kent in 1860 - which shocked Victorian Britain and inadvertently inspired legions of fictional detectives. | Last year's winner was Kate Summerscale, whose book, The Suspicions Of Mr Whicher, investigated the brutal murder of four-year-old Savile Kent in 1860 - which shocked Victorian Britain and inadvertently inspired legions of fictional detectives. |
| The other finalists this year were: | The other finalists this year were: |
| • Liaquat Ahamed - Lords of Finance | • Liaquat Ahamed - Lords of Finance |
| • Ben Goldacre - Bad Science | • Ben Goldacre - Bad Science |
| • David Grann - The Lost City of Z | • David Grann - The Lost City of Z |
| • Manjit Kumar - Quantum: Einstein, Bohr and the Great Debate about the Nature of Reality | • Manjit Kumar - Quantum: Einstein, Bohr and the Great Debate about the Nature of Reality |
| • Richard Holmes - The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science. | • Richard Holmes - The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science. |