Global bestseller London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe is among the six books shortlisted for The Baillie Gifford Prize For Non-Fiction 2026.

In London Falling: A Mysterious Death In A Gilded City And A Family’s Search for Truth, Keefe investigates the death of Zac Brettler, a London teenager who was leading a secret life posing as the son of a wealthy Russian oligarch.

The author uncovers the circumstances that led him to the balcony that night and into London’s shadowy underworld.

Keefe won the prize for his book Empire Of Pain: The Secret History Of The Sackler Family in 2021.

Also nominated for a second time is Andrea Wulf for The Traveller: The Revolutionary Life of George Forster And His Search for Humanity, which recounts the life of radical eighteenth-century naturalist and explorer George Forster.

Wulf was longlisted for the prize in 2008 for her book The Brother Gardeners: Botany, Empire And the Birth of An Obsession.

Also shortlisted is Nicholas Boggs’ Baldwin: A Love Story, which offers the first major biography of author James Baldwin in three decades.

Drawing on newly uncovered archival materials, original research and interviews, Boggs explores the relationships that helped shape Baldwin’s life and work.

Matthew Sweet’s The Great Dictator: A Life of Barbara Cartland is a biography of the prolific novelist, who was one of the 20th century’s bestselling authors, and features archival materials and first-hand accounts.

Edmund Richardson’s Alexander: God, King, Man retells the life of Alexander the Great, from his early life as an insecure young ruler into one of history’s most celebrated conquerors.

Finally, Anand Gopal’s Days of Love and Rage: A Story of Revolution immerses readers in Manbij, Syria, during the 2011 revolution.

Kirsty Lang, chair of judges, said: “This is a charismatic shortlist which I hope will inspire more people to read non-fiction.

“There is something for everyone: a romantic novelist, a civil rights activist, an eighteenth-century explorer, an ancient king, the Syrian revolution told from the ground up, and a dark portrait of contemporary London.

“It is an eclectic list united by stories of people navigating a world full of conflict as well as hope.

“At a time when many of us are trying to make sense of a complex and frightening world, non-fiction can help us find our way through.”

The winner will be announced on Wednesday November 4 at an award ceremony at BMA House.