Morris D. Forkosch Prize
The American Historical Association offers the Morris D. Forkosch Prize annually in recognition of the best book in English in the field of British, British imperial, or British Commonwealth history since 1485. Submission of books relating to the shared common law heritage of the English-speaking world are particularly encouraged in memory of the late Professor Forkosch’s contributions to the field of legal studies and legal history.
The current prize amount is $1,000. See the list of past recipients.
The general rules for submission are:
- Books with a copyright of 2023 will be eligible for the 2024 competition.
- 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 marked “Forkosch Award 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 Forkosch Prize
Steven King (Nottingham Trent Univ.), Paul Carter (National Archives, UK), Natalie Carter (Nottingham Trent Univ.), Peter Jones (Univ. of Glasgow), and Carol Beardmore (Open Univ.)
In Their Own Write: Contesting the New Poor Law, 1834–1900 (McGill-Queen’s Univ. Press)
Elegantly written, provocative, and persuasive, In Their Own Write changes the way we understand the New Poor Law and, more broadly, the experiences of the poor in Victorian Britain. Grounded in a staggering body of archival evidence and taking full advantage of its co-authors’ diverse areas of expertise, this study recovers the voices of poor Britons themselves, foregrounding their own perspectives, hopes, and fears and, ultimately, revealing their surprising agency in shaping the welfare process.