It is with enormous pleasure that I can report that The Sun Kings has been longlisted by the Royal Society for their science book prizes 2008. The longlist contains 12 books and I am humbled to be in company of so many excellent authors.

About The Sun Kings, the judges said: "A wonderful historical biography. This 19th century melodrama gets you straight into the science of sun spots.  It has everything great characters, knives, guns and illicit relationships!"

About the longlist in general, Professor Jonathan Ashmore, Chair of the judges said: "We found it very hard to choose just twelve books. None of us had realised how many eligible titles had been published over the past year. The range of styles and topics was truly astonishing. It was both fascinating and exciting to be surrounded by the most recently published science books, in some cases almost hot off the press. The books we have selected for the longlist reflect, we think, the high standard of the entries."

To read the Royal Society’s full announcement of the longlist click here: