Charles Taylor Prize longlist 2013

The longlist for the Charles Taylor prize has been announced.  "...commemorates Charles Taylor’s pursuit of excellence in the field of literary non-fiction. The prize will be awarded to the author whose book best combines a superb command of the English language, an elegance of style, and a subtlety of thought and perception." Well! Who could resist that description? Last year's winner was The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary (M) by Andrew Westoll.

Here are the nominees for the 2013 prize.

The Pursuit of Perfection: a life of Celia Franca (M)
by Carol Bishop-Gwyn

Warlords: Borden, MacKenzie King and Canada's world wars (M) by Tim Cook

Walls: travels along the barricades (M)
by Marcello Di Cintio

Journey With No Maps: a life of P.K. Page (M)
by Sandra Djwa

Solar Dance: genius, forgery and the crisis of truth in the modern age (M)
by Modris Eksteins

A Season in Hell: my 130 days in the Sahara with Al Qaeda (M) by Robert Fowler

Plutocrats: the rise of the new global super-rich and the fall of everyone else (M)
by Chrystia Freeland

March Forth: the inspiring true story of a Canadian soldier's journey of love, hope and survival (M) by Trevor and Debbie Greene

Leonardo and the Last Supper (M) 
by Ross King

Working the Dead Beat: 50 lives that changed Canada (M)
by Sandra Martin

Sword of the Spirit, Shield of Faith: religion in American war and diplomacy (M)
by Andrew Preston

What We Talk About When We Talk About War (M) 
by Noah Richler

Chronic Condition: why Canada's health care system needs to be dragged into the twenty first century (M)
by Jeffrey Simpson

Epistolophilia: writing the life of Ona Simaite (M) 
 by Julija Sukys

The Universe Within: from quantum to cosmos (M) 
by Neil Turok