Elizabeth Marshall Thomas (born September 13, 1931) is an American author. She has published fiction and non-fiction books and articles on animal behavior,

Paleolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic ( years ago) ( ), also called the Old Stone Age (), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone tools, and which represents almost the entire period of human prehist ...

life, and the !Kung Bushmen of the

Kalahari Desert The Kalahari Desert is a large semiarid climate, semiarid sandy savanna in Southern Africa covering including much of Botswana as well as parts of Namibia and South Africa. It is not to be confused with the Angolan, Namibian, and South African ...

Early life and education

Thomas was born to anthropologist Lorna Marshall and Laurence K. Marshall, co-founder of the

Raytheon Corporation Raytheon is a business unit of RTX Corporation and is a major U.S. defense contractor and industrial corporation with manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. Founded in 1922, it merged in 2020 with Unite ...

. She is the sister of ethnographic filmmaker

John Marshall John Marshall (September 24, 1755July 6, 1835) was an American statesman, jurist, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth chief justice of the United States from 1801 until his death in 1835. He remai ...

. She was raised in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

and attended Abbot Academy in

Andover, Massachusetts Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was Settler, settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in ''Encyclopedia Britannica, The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ed. ...

. After beginning undergraduate studies at

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...

, Thomas took a break to travel in Africa with her family and later completed a degree in English from

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that was founded in 1879. In 1999, it was fully incorporated into Harvard Colle ...

Career

Between 1950 and 1956, she took part in three expeditions to live with and study the Ju/'hoansi ( !Kung Bushmen) of the

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

and

Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...

. During these trips, Thomas kept a journal which she later drew on when writing her first book, ''The Harmless People''. She later drew on this experience in her fiction, depicting the life of

hunter gatherers in the novels ''Reindeer Moon'' and ''The Animal Wife''. A popular success and ''New York Times'' bestseller, her book ''The Hidden Life of Dogs'' also drew criticism from some in the scientific and dog training communities for Thomas' observational methods and analysis. Thomas wrote a follow-up book, ''The Social Life of Dogs: The Grace of Canine Company'' as well as books on feline and deer behavior. She also contributes, along with Sy Montgomery, to a column called
Tamed/Untamed
in the ''

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

''.

Personal life

Ms. Thomas has long made her home in

Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. With proceeds from her bestselling book about dogs, she donated land for Peterborough's first town beach at Cunningham Pond, where canines of town residents are always welcome. She served on the town's Select Board for 15 years.

Bibliography

Non-fiction

;Anthropology * *''Warrior Herdsmen'' (1965),

Secker & Warburg Harvill Secker is a British publishing company formed in 2005 from the merger of Secker & Warburg and the Harvill Press. History Secker & Warburg Secker & Warburg was formed in 1935 from a takeover of Martin Secker, which was in receivership, ...

, ASIN B0000CMXZI * *''The Old Way: A Story of the First People'' (2006)

Farrar, Straus and Giroux Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger Williams Straus Jr. and John C. Farrar. FSG is known for publishing literary books, and its authors have won numerous awards, including Pulitzer P ...

, ;Ethology and animal culture *''The Hidden Life of Life'' (2018),

Penn State University Press The Penn State University Press, also known as The Pennsylvania State University Press, is a non-profit publisher of scholarly books and journals. Established in 1956, it is the independent publishing branch of the Pennsylvania State University ...

, *''The Hidden Life of Dogs'' (1993),

Houghton Mifflin The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as ...

, *''The Tribe of Tiger: Cats and Their Culture'' (1994),

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...

, *''The Social Lives of Dogs: The Grace of Canine Company'' (2000), Simon & Schuster, *''The Hidden Life of Deer: Lessons from the Natural World'' (2009), Harper, *''A Million Years with You: A Memoir of Life Observed'' (2013),

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Company ( ; HMH) is an American publisher of textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, and reference works. The company is based in the Financial District, Boston, Boston Financial District. It was fo ...

Novels

*''Reindeer Moon'' (1987), Houghton Mifflin, *''The Animal Wife'' (1990), Houghton Mifflin, *''Certain Poor Shepherds: A Christmas Tale'' (1996), Simon & Schuster,

Critical studies and reviews of Thomas' work

* Review of ''The tribe of tiger''.

References

External links

* http://elizabethmarshallthomas.net Official Elizabeth Marshall Thomas Website
Elizabeth Marshall Thomas
on Literati.net
Interview with Elizabeth Marshall Thomas on Mother Nature Network

Salon.com people , Elizabeth Marshall Thomas

Socializing Humans

The tribe of tiger : cats and their culture

The social lives of dogs : the grace of canine company
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Elizabeth Marshall 1931 births Living people 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American women writers American anthropologists American women novelists American women anthropologists Animal cognition writers Dog writers Radcliffe College alumni Smith College alumni People from Peterborough, New Hampshire American women non-fiction writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers Abbot Academy alumni 21st-century American women