The Booker at 40

PH Newby, who won the first Booker prize in 1969 with Something to Answer For Photograph: Guardian

Something to Answer For, by PH Newby Photograph: Man Booker Prize

Bernice Ruben won the following year (1970) for The Elected Member. Her trophy, pictured here, was designed by Jan Pienowski Photograph: James Darling/Man Booker Prize

VS Naipaul - seen here receiving the prize cheque from the critic Frank Kermode - won in 1971 for In A Free State Photograph: Keystone Press

The Siege of Krishnapur by JG Farrell Photograph: Man Booker Prize

In 1974 the prize was shared between The Conservationist by Nadine Gordimer (pictured) and Holiday by Stanley Middleton Photograph: Man Booker Prize

The Conservationist by Nadine Gordimer Photograph: Man Booker Prize

Stanley Middleton, co-winner with Nadine Gordimer in 1974 for the Holiday Photograph: Man Booker Prize

The Holiday by Stanley Middleton Photograph: Man Booker Prize

The novelist Kingsley Amis with his wife Elizabeth Jane Howard, one of the judges of the 1974 prize (the shortlist included Amis's Ending Up, which raised a few eyebrows) Photograph: Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis

Salman Rushdie in 1981, the year he won the prize for Midnight's Children Photograph: Man Booker Prize

Rushdie's Midnight's Children has subsequently been voted the 'best of the Bookers' on two occasions, first in 1993, and most recently this July Photograph: Fiona Hanson/PA

Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie Photograph: Man Booker Prize

JM Coetzee has won the prize twice. First in 1983 with The Life and Times of Michael K, and later in 1999 with Disgrace Photograph: Reuters

Disgrace by J M Coetzee Photograph: Man Booker Prize

Coetzee's five judges in 1999 were (l-r) Boyd Tonkin, Natasha Walter, Gerald Kaufman, Shena MacKay, and John Sutherland Photograph: Graham Turner/Guardian

Arundhati Roy won the prize in 1997 with The God of Small Things Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/AP

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy Photograph: Man Booker Prize

A special bound copy of The God of Small Things. Limited hand-bound editions of the the shortlisted books have been made since 1991 Photograph: James Darling/Man Booker Prize

Yann Martel with his 2002 prize-winner, Life of Pi Photograph: Matthew Fearn/PA

Martel (far right) faced some stiff competition for the 2002 prize from a shortlist including (l-r) Tim Winton, Sarah Waters, William Trevor, Rohinton Mistry Photograph: Martin Godwin/freelance

Life of Pi by Yann Martel Photograph: Man Booker Prize

2002 was also the year the judging process became media savvy, with chair of judges Lisa Jardine inviting the BBC to film her panel drawing up the shortlist. Following the meeting, the judges - (l-r) Erica Wagner, Martin Goff (prize administrator), Lisa Jardine (chair), David Baddiel, Russell Celyn Jones, Salley Vickers - celebrated with a ride on the London Eye Photograph: Graham Turner/Guardian

John Banville became the first Irish winner of the prize in 2005 with The Sea Photograph: Graeme Robertson/Guardian

The Sea by John Banville Photograph: Man Booker Prize

Banville's judges in 2005 were (back, l-r) Rick Gekoski and David Sexton and (front l-r) Josephine Hart, John Sutherland (chair) and Lindsey Duguid Photograph: Andrew Stuart/PA

The most recent winner of the prize, Anne Enright, who won in 2007 with The Gathering Photograph: Alastair Grant/AP

The Gathering by Anne Enright Photograph: Man Booker Prize

Enright's competition in 2007: Darkmans by Nicola Barker, The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid, Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones, On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan and Animal's People by Indra Sinha Photograph: Shaun Curry/AFP

Last year's judges were (l-r) Wendy Cope, Ruth Scurr, Howard Davies, Imogen Stubbs, Giles Foden Photograph: Nils Jorgensen/Rex Features

First editions of the prize winners between 1969 and 1974 Photograph: James Darling/Man Booker Prize

Booker prize stickers down the years Photograph: James Darling/Man Booker Prize