The Best of the Booker

{{Short description|Literary prize awarded in 2008}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

The Best of the Booker was a special prize awarded in commemoration of the Booker Prize's 40th anniversary in 2008. Eligible books included the 41{{Ref label|number|A|A}} winners of the Booker Prize since its inception in 1968.{{cite news |url=http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,,2258500,00.html |access-date=2008-07-12 |title=Best of the Booker' pits Rushdie against 40 pretenders |last=Pauli |first=Michelle |publisher=The Guardian |date=2008-02-21}} The six shortlisted titles were announced on 12 May 2008 and were chosen by novelist Victoria Glendinning, broadcaster Mariella Frostrup and Professor of English at University College London John Mullan.{{cite web |url=http://www.themanbookerprize.com/news/release/1080 |access-date=2008-07-12 |title=The Best of the Booker shortlist announced |publisher=The Man Booker Prizes |date=2008-05-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517182716/http://www.themanbookerprize.com/news/release/1080 |archive-date=2008-05-17 }} Among the nominees were the only two authors at that time to have won the Booker twice, Peter Carey and J. M. Coetzee, nominated for their novels Oscar & Lucinda (1988) and Disgrace (1999) respectively.

The winner, as chosen by a public vote, was Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children, and was announced on July 10 at the London Literature Festival.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7499495.stm |title=Rushdie wins Best of Booker prize |publisher=BBC News |date=2008-07-10}} Midnight's Children not only won the 1981 Booker, but also the special 1993 Booker of Bookers prize, which commemorated the award's 25th anniversary.

The shortlisted titles were:

• (1973) J. G. Farrell, The Siege of Krishnapur
• (1974) Nadine Gordimer, The Conservationist
• (1981) Salman Rushdie, Midnight's Children
• (1988) Peter Carey, Oscar & Lucinda
• (1995) Pat Barker, The Ghost Road
• (1999) J. M. Coetzee, Disgrace