Colm Tóibín has been nominated for the Man Booker Prize for the third time, for his 2012 novel The Testament of Mary. The Irish writer was one of twelve authors on the long-list, which the judges say is "surely the most diverse" in the prize's history.

Despite Tóibín's entry, ten of the twelve entries are first time nominees, with Jim Crace the other writer to have gotten close to Booker success before.

Robert Macfarlane, this year's chair of judges, said: "This is surely the most diverse longlist in Man Booker history: wonderfully various in terms of geography, form, length and subject. These 13 outstanding novels range from the traditional to the experimental, from the first century AD to the present day, from 100 pages to 1,000, and from Shanghai to Hendon," according to the Guardian.

Perhaps the most intriguing book on the list comes in the former of The Kills, by Richard House. The 1,000 word tome is essentially four books in one novel and comes with extra, digitally available content. It would be the first time a book with interactive add-ons won the Booker Prize.

Other nominated novels include The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton, The Lowland by Indian-American writer Jhumpa Lahiri and the World War II novel Unexploded by Alison MacLeod.

The Man Booker Prize nominations were announced in a Twitter post, featuring an image depicting the long-list on an easel - a nod to the announcement of the birth of the royal baby. 

This year's judges, Macfarlane, Martha Kearney, Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, Natalie Haynes and Stuart Kelly, will meet again in September to name a shortlist.

The £50,000 winner of the Booker Prize will be announced on October 15, 2013.

Last year, Bring up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel fought off Will Self's avant garde novel Umbrella to win the prestigious literary award.

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Hilary Mantel Won The Booker Prize for Bring Up The Bodies