Subtitled 'A History of Women and the Mind Doctors from 1800', Lisa Appignanesi's moving and insightful Mad, Bad and Sad has been named on the longlist for the BBC Four Samuel Johnson Prize.

It has already attracted amazing reviews:

'An intelligent and academically rigorous study' Observer

'Magisterial' FT

'Ambitious, sobering and often entertaining... acute and written with judgement' Guardian

'Wonderfully engaging and enlightening' Independent

'A fascinating account of an important and illuminating subject' Irish Times

'A thoroughly researched and absorbing study' Herald

'Lisa Appignanesi tackles the subject of female mental illness with sympathy and clarity' Sunday Herald

'There is some wonderful writing here and plenty of sharp insights' New Statesman

'Appignanesi's strength is her mastery of the sweep of history' The Times

'Glittering intellectual history of women, madness and the mind doctors' Sunday Telegraph

'Illuminating biographical anecdotes' Independent on Sunday

'Intelligent and academically rigorous' Observer

'An entertaining account' Daily Telegraph

'Important and illuminating' Irish Times

Now in its tenth year, the BBC Four Samuel Johnson Prize is the world's richest award for non-fiction, and rewards a diverse range of thought-provoking books.

The shortlist will be announced on May 15th. The judges will announce the winner of the Prize at an awards event in the Ballroom at the South Bank Centre, London on July 15th. The winner receives £30,000, and each of the five shortlisted authors, £1,000.

BBC Four will televise the awards ceremony on Sunday 20th July and features complementary programming on the channel and on-line support on www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour.

Read Lisa's Guardian article on psychoanalysts in fiction.