1969

1969

P. H. Newby 
Something to Answer For
Faber & Faber 

In the early days the judges came to their decision a full month before the announcement was made. This first awards ceremony was on 22 April 1969 and consisted of a drinks reception at Stationers’ Hall, where P. H. Newby was presented with the winner’s cheque for £5,000. The prize had only a modest impact, but Something to Answer For immediately appeared on the Evening Standard bestseller list, the first time that a British novel had made its way onto such a list purely as the result of winning a prize.