In January 2026, the Meyer and Renee Luskin Department of History at UCLA will award the Eugen Weber Book Prize in French History. A prize for the best book in modern French history (post 1815) over the previous two years, this award is named for eminent French historian Eugen Weber (1925-2007). Professor Weber served on the History faculty at UCLA from 1956 until 1993. He was renowned as a teacher and scholar for being able to bring the French and European past to life, whether in magisterial lectures delivered without notes or in his many acclaimed books that covered topics ranging from right-wing elite groups to the peasantry, with a special interest in French politics and culture at the turn of the 20th century and in the 1930s.
The Eugen Weber Book Prize in French History brings a cash award of $15,000. The Award winner will be announced at the American Historical Association annual meeting in January 2026. The winning author will be invited to visit UCLA to speak about his or her work and receive the prize during the spring of 2026.
The Eugen Weber Book Prize committee is made up of one UCLA faculty member and two other members, nominated by the AHA, French Historical Studies or the Western Society of French History. Books eligible for the 2026 prize are those published in 2023 or 2024. Nominations will be accepted from both authors and publishers and nominated books may be published anywhere in the world in either English or French.
Please send one copy to each of the committee members at the addresses given below. The deadline for submissions is June 1, 2025.
Sanjay Subrahmanyam (chair)
Weber Book Prize
University of California, Los Angeles
Meyer and Renee Luskin Department of History
315 Portola Plaza
6265 Bunche Hall
Los Angeles, CA 90095
Robin Mitchell
Weber Book Prize
University of Buffalo
Department of History
719 Parkside Ave.
Buffalo, NY 14216
Jennifer Sessions
Weber Book Prize
University of Virginia
Department of History
PO Box 400180
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4180
Questions? Please contact Weberbookprize@history.ucla.edu.
