Kit Chapman wins 2026 Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize

Kit Chapman has won the 2026 Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize for The Age of Alchemy: How Early Innovators Shaped Modern Chemistry (Profile Books).

The £25,000 prize was announced at a ceremony at the Royal Society in London. The judges praised the book’s global approach to the history of chemistry, describing it as a “rollickingly ambitious piece of science writing”.

The book traces the development of chemistry across almost 4,000 years and multiple continents, from early steel-making in Sri Lanka to alchemists in Roman Egypt.

Chair of judges Mike Benton said Chapman showed that the birth of chemistry was “the cumulative feat of centuries of forgers, distillers and fermenters from across the globe”, adding that the book “could re-write the way chemistry is taught in schools”.

Historian Subhadra Das called it “a damn good history book”, praising its emphasis on medieval Muslim and women scholars, while author Irenosen Okojie described it as “a fun, globetrotting read with a strong voice that balances great storytelling with science”.

Chapman is a science communicator, lecturer at Falmouth University and holds a PhD in the history of science. His work has appeared in New Scientist, Nature, Chemistry World and the Daily Telegraph.

The five runners-up each received £2,500. This year’s shortlist also included Deborah Cohen’s Bad Influence (Oneworld), Fred Pearce’s Despite it All (Granta), Rose George’s Every Last Fish (Granta), Lise Barnéoud’s Hidden Guests (Greystone) and Steve Ramirez’s How to Change a Memory (Robinson).