Herbert Baxter Adams Prize
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 was established in 1905 in memory of the first secretary of the Association, Herbert Adams of Johns Hopkins University, who was also one of the Association’s founders. 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. See the list of past recipients.
In 2024, books on European history from ancient times to 1815, an author's first book, will be eligible for the competition. The general rules for submission are:
- Since the prize is designed especially to encourage scholars who have not yet obtained an established reputation, the entry must be the author’s first substantial book. Textbooks in the strict sense of the word are not eligible, but a work of wide scope which interprets a major period or area would certainly qualify. Pamphlets, anthologies, edited works, and other small-scale efforts will not qualify.
- Books published in English bearing a copyright of 2022 or 2023 are eligible for the 2024 prize.
- Nomination submissions may be made by an author or by a publisher. Publishers may submit as many entries as they wish. Authors or publishers may submit the same book for multiple AHA prizes.
- Nominators must complete an online prize submission form for each book submitted.
- One copy of each entry must be sent to each committee member and clearly labeled “Adams Prize Entry.” Print copies preferred unless otherwise indicated. If only e-copy is available, please contact review committee members beforehand to arrange submission format.
Please Note: Entries must be received by May 15, 2024, to be eligible for the 2024 competition. Entries will not be returned. Recipients will be announced on the AHA website in October 2024 and recognized during a ceremony at the January 2025 AHA annual meeting in New York.
For questions, please contact the Prize Administrator.
2023 Adams Prize
Clara E. Mattei, New School for Social Research
The Capital Order: How Economists Invented Austerity and Paved the Way to Fascism (Univ. of Chicago Press)
Modern austerity policies are typically defended as straightforward attempts to ensure fiscal solvency. In her reconstruction of austerity’s roots in interwar Europe, Clara E. Mattei reveals a very different picture of austerity’s actual aims and effects: austerity shores up economic privilege and compromises workers’ capacity to democratically contest the status quo. Mattei’s book stands out for its argument’s stunning clarity, its deep archival research, and its profound relevance to current public debates.