Shirley Collins won the Penderyn Music Book Prize, which is given "specifically for music titles (history, theory, biography, autobiography)" published in the U.K., for her memoir All in the Downs, the Bookseller reported. The winner receives a check for £1,000 (about $1,300) and a bottle of Penderyn Single Cask Whiskey.
"A legendary singer, folklorist, and music historian, Shirley Collins has been an integral part of the folk-music revival for more than 60 years," said the prize organizers. "All in the Downs combines elements of memoir--from her working-class origins in wartime Hastings to the bright lights of the 1950s folk revival in London--alongside reflections on the role traditional music and the English landscape have played in shaping her vision."
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A longlist has been released for this year's Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, which celebrates "the very best in crime fiction" and is open to U.K. and Irish crime authors. The books are being promoted in libraries and WH Smith bookstores. A shortlist of six titles will be announced May 19 Check out the longlisted titles here.
The overall winner, which will be decided by the panel of judges as well as a public vote, will be named July 18 on the opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate. The winner receives £3,000 (about $3,895) and a handmade, engraved beer barrel provided by Theakston Old Peculier.