Contrary to that historical fact, the National Book Foundation currently recognizes only a history of purely literary awards that begins in 1950.
[1] Repeat winners and split awards are covered at the bottom of the page.
This section covers awards starting in 1950 in the five current categories as defined by their names.
Dozens of new categories were introduced in 1980, including "General fiction", hardcover and paperback, which are both listed here.
Multiple nonfiction categories were introduced in 1964, initially Arts and Letters; History and (Auto)Biography; and Science, Philosophy and Religion.
Major reorganization in 1984 eliminated the 30-year-old Poetry award along with dozens of younger ones.
[118][119] The standard $1000 cash prize was initially provided by the National Translation Center, which had been founded at the University of Texas at Austin in 1965 with a grant from the Ford Foundation.
[123][124] Subsequently, the awards were announced mid-February to March 1[125][126][127][128][129][130] and presented at the convention.
Master of ceremonies Clifton Fadiman declined to consider the Pulitzer Prizes (not yet announced in February 1938) as potential ratifications.
"Unlike the Pulitzer Prize committee, the booksellers merely vote for their favorite books.
"[126] The Bookseller Discovery officially recognized "outstanding merit which failed to receive adequate sales and recognition"[127] The award stood alone for 1941 and the New York Times frankly called it "a sort of consolation prize that the booksellers hope will draw attention to his work".
[137][138] [139] Herbert Mitgang's report on the inaugural TABA begins thus: "Thirty-four hardcover and paperback books, many of which nobody had heard of before, were named winners during a generally ragged presentation of the first American Book Awards in a ceremony at the Seventh Regiment Armory last night.
William Cole explained this in a New York Times column pessimistically entitled "The Last of the National Book Awards" but the Awards were "saved" by the National Institute of Arts and Letters in 1976.