The 2006 shortlist included a flamboyant biography of a self-proclaimed Muslim prince; a magisterial history of Europe in our time; and a forgotten history of family and fatherland.
UNTOLD STORIES By Alan Bennett. Published by Faber & Faber A poignant family memoir with an account of the uncovering of a long-held family secret.
THE SALE OF THE LATE KING'S GOODS By Jerry Brotton. Published by Macmillan The extraordinary story of Charles I's fabled art collection.
BAD FAITH By Carmen Callil. Published by Jonathan Cape Revelatory account of the terrible acts of the Vichy government during the war years.
POSTWAR By Tony Judt. Published by William Heinemann A magisterial history of modern Europe from the end of WWII to the election of Benedict XVI.
THE ORIENTALIST By Tom Reiss. Published by Chatto and Windus The tale of a Jew who became a Muslim prince and then a best-selling author in Nazi Germany.
1599: A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE By James Shapiro. Published by Faber & Faber A vivid story of the year that Shakespeare became a writer of genius. The 2006 winner.
The BBC Four Samuel Johnson Prize is open to the authors of all non-fiction books published in the UK, regardless of nationality.
