The Dead Yard: Tales of Modern Jamaica by Ian Thomson has been named the 2010 Dolman Travel Book of the Year.
At an awards ceremony hosted by the Arts Club, Thomson received a cheque for GBP 2,500 in recognition of the honour. The accolade follows the book's success in winning the Royal Society of Literature's prestigious Ondaatje Prize last month.
Michael Jacobs, the chairman of the judging panel, commented: 'The Dead Yard is not just a beautifully written and very rich account of a distant place, but also a book of vital importance for the understanding of a major element in contemporary British culture.'
The shortlist for the 2010 Dolman prize included William Blacker's Along the Enchanted Way and Tequila Oil by Hugh Thomson.
Matthew Engel's Eleven Minutes Late, Lost and Found in Russia by Susan Richards, Daniel Metcalfe's Out of Steppe and A Single Swallow by Horatio Clare were also nominated.
Last year, the Dolman Travel Book of the Year title was won by Alice Albinia for her debut effort Empires of the Indus: The Story of a River.