An "immersive" biography of Alexander the Great won the prestigious Baillie Gifford Prize for nonfiction on Wednesday, in the latest sign of booming interest in the world of ancient Greece.

Edmund Richardson's "Alexander: God, King, Man" was named winner of the 50,000 pound ($67,000) prize at a ceremony in London.

British journalist Kirsty Lang, who chaired the judging panel, said the book is the first work of ancient history to win the prize and "reads like a novel." "It's very immersive. You really feel that you're there on the battlefield, marching across Central Asia and Egypt with Alexander," she said.