Reay Tannahill[pronunciation?] (9 December 1929 – 2 November 2007) was a British historian, non-fiction writer, and novelist, best known perhaps for two non-fiction bestsellers: Food in History and Sex in History. She also wrote under the pseudonym Annabel Laine.[1] Her novel Passing Glory won in 1990 the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the Romantic Novelists' Association.[2]
Reay Tannahill | |
|---|---|
| Born | 9 December 1929 Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Died | 2 November 2007 (aged 77) London, England, United Kingdom |
| Pen name | Reay Tannahill, Annabel Laine |
| Occupation | Historian, writer, novelist |
| Nationality | British |
| Period | 1964–2007 |
| Genre | Non-fiction, historical fiction, romance |
| Notable awards | RoNA Award |
| Spouse | Michael Edwardes (1958-1983) |
Biography
editPersonal life
editReay Tannahill was born on 9 December 1929[3] in Glasgow, Scotland,[4] where she was brought up.[5] Her forename was the maiden name of her mother, Olive Reay.[4] She was educated at Shawlands Academy, and obtained an MA in history and a postgraduate certificate in Social Sciences at the University of Glasgow.[5]
In 1958, she married Michael Edwardes; the marriage ended in divorce in 1983 and he died in 1990.[3]
Until her death on 2 November 2007 she lived in a terraced house in London near Tate Britain.[4]
Career
editBefore she started to write, she worked as a probation officer, advertising copywriter, newspaper reporter, historical researcher and graphic designer.[3] She published her first non-fiction book in 1964. With the international success that came with the book Food in History, her publisher suggested a companion volume on the second great human imperative, Sex in History. For her 2002 revised edition of Food in History, she won the Premio Letterario Internazionale Chianti Ruffino Antico Fattore.[4]
She also wrote historical romance novels, and in 1990, her novel Passing Glory won in 1990 the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the Romantic Novelists' Association.[2]
She belonged to the Arts Club and the Authors' Club, and was chairman of the latter from 1997 to 2000.[4]
Bibliography
editAs Reay Tannahill
editNon-fiction works
edit- Regency England: The Great Age of the Colour Print (1964)
- Paris in the Revolution: A Collection of Eye-witness Accounts (1966)
- The Fine Art of Food (1969)
- Food in History (1973) (Stein and Day publishers)
- Flesh & Blood: A History of the Cannibal Complex (1975)
- Sex in History (1980)
Historical fiction
editSingle novels
edit- A Dark and Distant Shore (1983)
- The World, the Flesh and the Devil (1985)
- Passing Glory (1989)
- In Still and Stormy Waters (1992)
- Return of the Stranger (1995)
- Fatal Majesty: A Novel of Mary, Queen of Scots (1998)
- The Seventh Son (2001)
Dame Constance de Clair Series
edit- Having the Builders in (2006)
- Having the Decorators in (2007)
As Annabel Laine
edit- The Reluctant Heiress (1979)
- The Melancholy Virgin (1982)
References and sources
edit- ^ Reay Tannahill's Pseudonym, 15 July 2012
- ^ a b Awards by the Romantic Novelists' Association, 15 July 2012
- ^ a b c Reay Tannahill at The Herald Scotland, 15 July 2012
- ^ a b c d e Reay Tannahill at the Independent, 15 July 2012
- ^ a b Reay Tannahill's Biography, 15 July 2012
- ^ Wands, D C. "Reay Tannahill." Fantastic Fiction. 23 Nov. 2006. 29 Nov. 2006 <http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/t/reay-tannahill/>.
External links
edit- Obituary in The Times, 27 December 2007[dead link]
- A Dark and Distant Shore: Tannahill's working papers, research notes and draft copies (ref. DM1294/9/4/3) Penguin Archive, University of Bristol Library Special Collections