Locus Award for Best Non-fiction


The Locus Award for Non-fiction is one of the annual Locus Awards presented by the science fiction and fantasy magazine Locus. Awards presented in a given year are for works published in the previous calendar year.
The Best non-fiction award has been made since 1979, originally known as Best Reference Book. The category was briefly merged with Best Art Book in 2004 and 2009-2010, and had on some occasions been previous won by graphic novels, which at the time did not have a category to fit them.

Winners

YearNominated workAuthorRef.
1979The Way the Future WasFrederik Pohl
1980The Science Fiction EncyclopediaPeter Nicholls
1981In Joy Still Felt: The Autobiography of Isaac Asimov, 1954-1978Isaac Azimov
1982Danse MacabreStephen King
1983The Engines of the NightBarry N. Malzberg
1984Dream Makers, Volume IICharles Platt
1985Sleepless Nights in the Procrustean BedHarlan Ellison
1986Benchmarks: Galaxy BookshelfAlgis Budrys
1987Trillion Year SpreeBrian W. Aldiss with David Wingrove
1988WatchmenAlan Moore & Dave Gibbons
1989First MaitzDon Maitz
1990Grumbles from the GraveRobert A. Heinlein
1991Science Fiction Writers of America HandbookKristine Kathryn Rusch & Dean Wesley Smith
1992Science-Fiction: The Early YearsEverett F. Bleiler
1993DinotopiaJames Gurney
1994The Encyclopedia of Science FictionJohn Clute & Peter Nicholls
1995I. Asimov: A MemoirIsaac Asimov
1996Science Fiction: The Illustrated EncyclopediaJohn Clute
1997Look at the EvidenceJohn Clute
1998The Encyclopedia of FantasyJohn Clute & John Grant
1999The Dreams Our Stuff Is Made Of: How Science Fiction Conquered the WorldThomas M. Disch
2000Sixty Years of Arkham HouseS. T. Joshi
2001On WritingStephen King
2002Being Gardner DozoisMichael Swanwick
2003Tomorrow Now: Envisioning the Next Fifty YearsBruce Sterling
2004The Sandman: Endless NightsNeil Gaiman
2005The Wave in the MindUrsula K. Le Guin
2006Storyteller: Writing Lessons and More from 27 Years of the Clarion Writers' WorkshopKate Wilhelm
2007James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. SheldonJulie Phillips
2008Breakfast in the RuinsBarry N. Malzberg
2009Awarded to an Art Book
2010Cheek by Jowl: EssaysUrsula K. Le Guin
2011Robert A. Heinlein: In Dialogue with His Century: Volume 1: 1907-1948: Learning CurveWilliam H. Patterson, Jr
2012Evaporating Genres: Essays on Fantastic LiteratureGary K. Wolfe
2013Distrust That Particular FlavorWilliam Gibson
2014Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative FictionJeff VanderMeer
2015What Makes This Book So GreatJo Walton
2016Letters to TiptreeAlisa Krasnostein & Alexandra Pierce
2017The Geek Feminist RevolutionKameron Hurley
2018Luminescent Threads: Connections to Octavia E. ButlerAlexandra Pierce & Mimi Mondal
2019Ursula K. Le Guin: Conversations on WritingUrsula K. Le Guin & David Naimon
2020Monster, She Wrote: The Women Who Pioneered Horror and Speculative FictionLisa Kröger & Melanie R. Anderson
2021The Magic of Terry PratchettMarc Burrows
2022Dangerous Visions and New Worlds: Radical Science Fiction, 1950 to 1985Andrew Nette & Iain McIntyre
2023Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes: The Official BiographyRob Wilkins
2024Space CroneUrsula K. Le Guin
2025Afro-Centered Futurisms in Our Speculative FictionEugen Bacon