en francais

The Eugen Weber Book Prize in French History is an award honoring the best book in modern French history (post 1815) published over the previous two years. Named for eminent French historian Eugen Weber (1925-2007), the prize was established in 2020 and comes with a cash award of $15,000. The prize is awarded biennially, with the winner announced in January of even-numbered years at the American Historical Association annual meeting. The winning author is also invited to visit UCLA and speak about their work in the spring of the award year.

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 releases a call for nominations in the odd numbered year before the award year (e.g., the call for 2026 nominations was announced in 2025). A committee, made up of one UCLA faculty member and two other members (nominated by the AHA, and either the French Historical Studies or the Western Society of French History), reviews submissions and determines the winner. Books eligible for the prize are those published anytime in the 2 years prior to the submission year that address an aspect of French history post-1815. Nominations will be accepted from both authors and publishers, and nominated books may be published anywhere in the world in either English or French.

Past Winners