An exciting tale of 18th-century Suffolk smugglers was announced on Thursday 16th October as the first-ever East Anglian Book of the Year.

Scapegallows, by Carol Birch, published by Virago, was revealed as the winner at the East Anglian Book Awards, held at Jarrold's store in Norwich. The story is based on the real life of Margaret Catchpole, born in Suffolk in 1762, who became involved with smugglers, cheated death twice and was eventually transported to Australia.

The awards, run by the EDP and Jarrold's and hosted by Keith Skipper, attracted dozens of entries from local and national publishers and were aimed at promoting books with a Norfolk, Suffolk or Fenland flavour.

The runner-up Book of the Year was Ronald Blythe's Field Work, with awards also being given to The Little Book of Suffolk by Carol Twinch, Boswell's Norwich by Patrick Boswell, Norfolk Broads: The Golden Age by Philippa Miller (edited by Peter Haining), and Other Voices by Andrew Humphrey. LP Hartley's The Go-Between was chosen to receive the first EABA Classic award.

The judging panel was chaired by Booker Prize-shortlisted East Anglian novelist Trezza Azzopardi, with poet and journalist Simon Proctor from the EDP and Caroline Jarrold, community affairs adviser for Jarrolds.

All of the short-listed titles are available from the book department in Jarrold's Department Store in Norwich.