| 2025 | The Boundless Deep: Young Tennyson, Science and the Crisis of Belief | Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Shortlist · Non-Fiction | |
| 2025 | The Boundless Deep | The Telegraph Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2025 | The Boundless Deep: Young Tennyson, Science and the Crisis of Belief | Financial Times Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Literary non-fiction | |
| 2017 | This Long Pursuit: Reflections of a Romantic Biographer | Slate Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Best Books | |
| 2017 | This Long Pursuit | Kirkus Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2016 | This Long Pursuit | The Observer Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Biography | |
| 2013 | Falling Upwards | Kirkus Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2013 | Falling Upwards | TIME Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2009 | The Age of Wonder | American Book Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Winner · Book | |
| 2009 | The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science | National Book Critics Circle Awards source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Winner · General Nonfiction | |
| 2009 | The Age of Wonder | Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Winner · Science Book | |
| 2009 | Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science | Los Angeles Times Book Prizes source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Finalist · History | |
| 2009 | The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science | Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Shortlist · Non-Fiction | |
| 2009 | The Age of Wonder | New York Times 10 Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2009 | The Age of Wonder | New York Times 100 Notable Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2009 | The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science | Publishers Weekly Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2009 | The Age of Wonder | TIME Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Nonfiction | |
| 2009 | The Age of Wonder | Washington Post Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Notable Nonfiction | |
| 2009 | The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science | Publishers Weekly Best Books source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Top 10 | |
| 2009 | The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science | Amazon Editors' Best Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · Top 100 | |
| 2008 | The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science | The Economist Books of the Year source ↗ (opens in a new tab) | Selection · History | |