Renowned historian William Dalrymple has been awarded the 2026 Mark Lynton History Prize for his acclaimed book The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World.
The award recognises books that combine scholarly excellence with literary elegance, and includes a cash prize of USD 10,000. Dalrymple’s work was praised for its “literary grace, commitment to serious research and social concern.”
The Golden Road has been described as a perspective-shifting narrative that places ancient India at the centre of Asian history, highlighting its far-reaching cultural, economic, and intellectual influence across the continent.
The Mark Lynton History Prize is one of three honours under the prestigious J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize, administered jointly by the Nieman Foundation for Journalism and the Columbia University School of Journalism.
The prize is named after Mark Lynton, author of Accidental Journey: A Cambridge Internee’s Memoir of World War II, commemorating his contributions to literature and public life.
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