Kit Chapman's The Age of Alchemy wins Royal Society science book prize

The history of chemistry won the 2026 Trivedi Science Book Prize, which carries a £25,000 award.

Kit Chapman's The Age of Alchemy: How Early Innovators Shaped Modern Chemistry has won the 2026 Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize. The Royal Society announced the result at a London ceremony on September 29. The winner receives £25,000; each of the five other shortlisted authors receives £2,500. Published by

Profile Books, Chapman's nonfiction book traces chemistry through many places and eras, including early steelmaking in Sri Lanka and the apparatus of alchemists in Roman Egypt. The judges highlighted its global scope and its attention to practical work by people often left out of familiar histories of science. The

prize recognises popular science writing from the preceding year. The Royal Society's winner announcement names the book, publisher and prize amounts, and sets out the judges' reasons for choosing it. Headline image: Kit Chapman with the winning book at the prize event, via the Royal Society. Official organiser

photograph.

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