The Economy of Prestige: Prizes, Awards, and the Circulation of Cultural Value James F. English This is a book about one of the great untold stories of modern cultural life: the remarkable ascendancy of prizes in literature and the arts. In a wide-ranging overview, James F. English documents the dramatic rise of the awards industry and its complex role within what he describes as an economy o cultural prestige. James F. English is Professor and Chair of English, University of Pennsylvania.