Three books dealing with very different periods in history have been selected as finalists for the 2023 Cundill History Prize.

The annual $75,000 (U.S.) prize, administered by McGill University, is awarded to a book that embodies historical scholarship, originality, literary quality, and broad appeal.

The three finalists, who each receive $10,000 (U.S.), were chosen from the shortlisted titles announced last month. Jury chair Philippa Levine announced the finalists on October 16 via livestream.

The finalists are:

• Red Memory: Living, Remembering and Forgetting China’s Cultural Revolution by Tania Branigan (Faber & Faber)
• Queens of a Fallen World: The Lost Women of Augustine’s Confessions by Kate Cooper (Basic Books/Hachette Book Group)
• Charged: A History of Batteries and Lessons for a Clean Energy Future by James Morton Turner (University of Washington Press)

The winner will be announced as part of the Cundill History Prize Festival in Montreal on Nov. 8.