The Society for Historians of the Early American Republic awards book prizes to original monographs that deal with the period 1776-1861 in America. Certainly, some books that we consider cover a slightly broader time frame than this. But in order to qualify, the book must make its primary scholarly contribution to the history of the early American republic. Within that period, the book may treat virtually any aspect of history, including political, economic, social, or cultural history. In addition, let me emphasize that the book must be an original monograph or a collection of original essays. Editions of primary sources will not be considered, nor will new editions of old books or anthologies of previously published essays.

We will award prizes for books published in 2022 in following categories: SHEAR Best Book, James Broussard Best First Book, James Bradford Best Biography Prize, and Mary Kelley Prize. We interpret that to mean that the book carries a 2022 copyright date.  A book with a 2021 copyright date whose publication was delayed until 2022, for example, is normally ineligible.

Please send one copy of each of your books that satisfy these guidelines to the members of this year’s Book Prize Committees by April 1, 2023. Please note that there are three different committees for the SHEAR book prizes in the following categories:

The SHEAR Book Prize and James Bradford Best Biography Prize

The SHEAR Book Prize will be awarded to the book that makes the best primary scholarly contribution to the history of the early American republic. As stated above, the book may treat virtually any aspect of history, including political, economic, social, or cultural history.

The James Bradford Biography Prize will be awarded annually to the author of an original biography, broadly defined, published in the previous year, of a person active during the era of the Early Republic. Editions of primary sources will not be considered, nor will new editions of old books or anthologies of previously published essays.

If you wish to make a nomination or nominations for the SHEAR Book Prize and James Bradford Best Biography Prize, please send copies of books to the prize committee judges, whose addresses are below:

Professor Laurel Shire
Department of History
University of Western Ontario
Room 2201, Lawson Hall
London, ON N6A 5B8
CANADA
lshire@uwo.ca

Professor Craig Friend
1100 High Knoll Court
Raleigh NC 27603
ctfriend@ncsu.edu

Professor Marcus Nevius
46 Wilson Avenue
Warwick, RI 02889
mpnevius@missouri.edu

The James H. Broussard Best First Book Prize

The James H. Broussard Best First Book Prize is named for the individual most responsible for the creation of SHEAR as an academic organization. The prize is awarded annually to the best “first book” by a new author published in the previous calendar year and dealing with any aspect of the history of the early American republic.

If you wish to make a nomination or nominations to the James H. Broussard Best First Book Prize, please send a copy of each nominated book by April 1, 2023 to each prize committee judge:

Professor Kellie Carter Jackson
86 Nason Hill Road
Sherborn, MA 01770
kjackso6@wellesley.edu

Professor Karin Wulf
John Carter Brown Library
Box 1894
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
karin_wulf@brown.edu

Professor Christopher Bonner
University of Maryland, College Park
2115 Francis Scott Key Hall
College Park, MD 20742
cjbonner@umd.edu

The Mary Kelley Prize

SHEAR will also award the Mary Kelley Prize, honoring the best book published on the history of women, gender, or sexuality in the Early American Republic (1776-1861). The prize is named in honor of Mary Kelley, the Ruth Bordin Collegiate Professor of History, American Culture, and Women’s Studies at the University of Michigan, who has produced path-breaking work on gender and intellectual history, the history of reading, and the history of education and is a past president of SHEAR. This prize marks an opportunity to celebrate her contributions to SHEAR at the same time that we recognize work in a subfield that has moved to the center of our thinking about the Early Republic.

Please send one copy of books that satisfy the guidelines of the Mary Kelley Prize to the members of this year’s Mary Kelley Prize Committee by April 1, 2023:

Professor Kabria Baumgartner
Department of History
237 Meserve Hall
Northeastern University
360 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
Kabria.Baumgartner@unh.edu

Professor Lucia McMahon
31 Washington Court
Towaco NJ 07082
lucia.mcmahon@gmail.com

Professor Tamika Nunley
Please email Professor Nunley for mailing address: tyn4@cornell.edu