'Books about Books' Book Award

In 2023 , I began a fun project and started sharing personal “best of” lists solely dedicated to the world of books about books. So welcome to the home of the 'Books About Books' Book of the Year Awards. It is a list that is 100% subjective, 100% fun, and filled with books that I hope will pique your interest. Do let me know if you wind up picking one of these up. The whole point of this site is to get the chance to chat with folks about books while shining a spotlight on some of the best books about books out there.

Here are the ground rules I set for myself:

I am only selecting from books that I have read.
The book must have been published in the year that is being considered.

That’s it. Pretty simple. Below you will find current & past winners.

graphic with blue type and red award icons next to stack of books topped with tiny silver trophy

2025

Book of the Year - Jane Austen's Bookshelf: A Rare Book Collector's Quest to Find the Women Writers Who Shaped a Legend by Rebecca Romney

Best Book About Book Culture & Industry - On Book Banning: Or, How the New Censorship Consensus Trivializes Art and Undermines Democracy by Ira Wells

Best Book About Book History - Black-Owned: The Revolutionary Life of the Black Bookstore by Char Adams

Best Bookish Profile - Foghorn: The Nearly True Story of a Small Publishing Empire by Vicki DeArmon

Best Gift Book - The Book Cover: 150 Years of Batsford Design by Paul Dimond