Two authors have been named as the winners of the 1995 Bancroft Prize, awarded annually by Columbia University for books about American history, biography and diplomacy.
John L. Brooke, 41, was chosen for "The Refiner's Fire: The Making of Mormon Cosmology, 1644-1844" (Cambridge University Press). He is an associate professor of history at Tufts University.John Dittmer, 55, received the prize for "Local People: The Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi" (University of Illinois Press). He is a professor of history at DePauw University.
The award carries a $4,000 cash prize for each winner.