The Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction is sponsored by BBC 4 and awarded annually with a prize of £30,000 since 1999. It aims " to reward the best of non-fiction and is open to authors of all non-fiction books in the areas of current affairs, history, politics, science, sport, travel, biography, autobiography and the arts."

Previous winners include 'Stalingrad' by Anthony Beevor and 'The Suspicions of Mr.Whicher' by Kate Summerscale. The 2009 shortlist was announced in May and the winner will be announced in July. Take a look at the shortlist to inspire your reading:

THE SHORTLIST: Lords of finance by Liaquat Ahamed (William Heinemann) Bad science by Ben Goldacre (Fourth Estate) The lost city of Z by David Grann (Simon and Schuster) Leviathan by Phillip Hoare (Fourth Estate) The age of wonder: how the Romatic generation discovered the beauty and terror of science by Richard Holmes (HarperPress) Quantum: Einstein, Bohr and the great debate about the nature of reality by Manjit Kumar (Icon Books)

• If you are a reader of non-fiction and would like to comment on any of the short listed titles, then please use the comment link below.