The John Tedeschi Prize for the best Reference Book

John Tedeschi (1931-2023) received his PhD from Harvard University in 1966. He took up the position of Bibliographer and Research Fellow in European History and Literature at the Newberry Library, Chicago in 1965. He became Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts and Head of the Department of Special Collections in 1970 and inaugural director of the Newberry’s Center for Renaissance Studies in 1979. In 1984, he was appointed Curator of Rare Books and Special Collections at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he was named Distinguished Academic Librarian in 1995. He retired in 1996.

Dr. Tedeschi’s research focused on Italian religious history during the sixteenth century. Among his works are The Prosecution of Heresy: Collected Studies on the Inquisition in Early Modern Italy (1991). He was also the author of dozens of encyclopedia articles, bibliographic essays, and other reference pieces on the Italian Inquisition and other related topics.

Dr. Tedeschi and his wife Anne translated some of the most widely read books in early modern Italian history, including Carlo Ginzburg’s The Cheese and The Worms (1980) and The Night Battles (1983), as well as more than a dozen other works.

Dr. Tedeschi was a long-time member of the Sixteenth Century Society and served as vice president in 1986 and President in 1987. His distinguished career reminds us of the critical impact that scholarly reference works have on our field. 

This prize recognizes a published work or piece of digital scholarship that is intended primarily for consultation such as a dictionary, encyclopedia or a comprehensive examination of the scholarship on a particular topic related to Early Modern Studies (ca. 1450-ca.1750). Printed works must have been published within the previous calendar year.  Ongoing digital humanities works must document substantial development during the previous calendar year. Submissions may include single or multiple authors or editors and printed works can be single or multi volume works. Criteria for selection include: 

1. quality and originality of research 

2. methodological skill and/or innovation 

3. development of fresh and stimulating interpretations or insights 

4. literary quality 

Nominations for the prize may be made by anyone, including authors. Nominations should be sent to the Executive Director (director@sixteenthcentury.org), who will then send contact information for the committee members. A copy of the nominated work, either in hard copy or electronic form, should then be sent no later than 1 April.

The books to be considered for the prize will be those books published within the preceding calendar year. Anthologies and collections of essays will not be accepted, except in the reference category.