Costa Book Awards 1979: Complete list of winners

The Costa Book Awards, one of Britain’s most prestigious literary honours, celebrated some remarkable achievements in 1979. That year’s winners represented the breadth of the prize’s reach—from intimate biography to inventive children’s fiction to finely crafted novels—each bringing something distinctive to their respective categories. The award has long been known for championing accessible, engaging writing that resonates with readers across the board, and this particular year’s selections demonstrated exactly that commitment to literary quality without pretension.

Penelope Mortimer’s About Time, a probing biographical work, won recognition in the Biography category, while Peter Dickinson’s Tulku claimed the Children’s Book award with its imaginative storytelling. Jennifer Johnston’s The Old Jest took the Novel prize, establishing itself as a standout work of fiction for the year. Together, these three titles painted a portrait of what British and Irish writing was achieving at the close of the 1970s—a moment when the Costa Book Awards (also known as the Whitbread Book Awards during this era) continued to identify voices and works that would endure in readers’ memories.

Below, you’ll find the complete list of 1979 Costa Book Awards winners across all categories.

Biography

• About Time by Penelope Mortimer

Children’s Book

• Tulku by Peter Dickinson

Novel

• The Old Jest by Jennifer Johnston