Each year, the Eric Hoffer Award for books presents the Montaigne Medal to the most thought-provoking title(s). These are books that either illuminate, progress, or redirect thought. The Montaigne Medal is given in honor of the great French philosopher Michel de Montaigne, who influenced people such as William Shakespeare, René Descartes, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Eric Hoffer. The Montaigne Medal was awarded to Taubman College Lecture Craig L. Wilkins for his book, The Aesthetics of Equity published by University of Minnesota press.
The editors of Travelers’ Tales Winners of the Second Annual Solas Awards for Best Travel Story of the Year were announced February 29, 2008. Craig was awarded the Bronze Certificate for “A San Francisco Treat”. His article fell under the category of best account of a shopping, bargaining, or haggling experience in a market, bazaar, outlet, or mall, anywhere in the world.