Times Science, Technology Book Prize

Tom Johnson, publisher and chief executive officer of the Los Angeles Times, has announced that the newspaper will award a science and technology prize, beginning in fall, 1989, as part of its annual Book Prize program.

The science and technology prize joins existing awards in fiction, poetry, history, biography and current interest, as well as the Robert Kirsch Award for a body of work by a writer living in or writing about the American West. The Times Book Prizes have been awarded since 1980.

“This new award adds an important new dimension to our annual Book Prizes,” Johnson said. “Science and technology have such a direct impact on our lives, more so than ever before. This state, for instance, is home to a score of science Nobel Prize winners and to major centers of technological and medical research. Our prize is, in a way, an acknowledgement of the importance of science to our readers.”

The new book prize is intended for works that are written for general audiences, according to Times Book Editor Jack Miles. He noted that the award relates directly to California’s pre-eminence in scientific and technological research.

“More important, it is an attempt to foster the further growth of scientific research, which depends upon a public consensus on its importance,” Miles added. “Even the most serious science begins with popular science. It begins when a parent gives a child a favorite book about nature. It begins when a thoughtful librarian suggests the book that initiates a lifelong adventure. These are the books, and the habits, that we hope our new prize will promote.”

The Times Book Prize winners each receive a cash prize of $1,000. Nominations are solicited every year from 100 Times book reviewers. Finalists and winners are chosen by committees of three judges per category, all of whom are anonymous.

The 1989 Book Prize winners will be announced in late September. The prizes will be presented in a ceremony at The Times in early November.