Josephine Tey (1896–1952)
Author of The Daughter of Time
About the Author
Josephine Tey is a pseudonym used by Elizabeth Mackintosh. She was born in 1896 in Inverness and died in 1952. She is a Scottish author best known for her mystery novels. She attended Inverness Royal Academy and then Anstey Physical Training College in Erdington, a suburb of Birmingham. She taught show more physical training at various schools in England and Scotland, but in 1926 she had to return to Inverness to care for her invalid father. There she began her career as a writer. In five of the mystery novels, the hero is Scotland Yard Inspector Alan Grant. The most famous of these is The Daughter of Time, in which Grant, laid up in hospital, has friends research reference books and contemporary documents so that he can puzzle out the mystery of whether King Richard III of England murdered his nephews, the Princes in the Tower. Grant comes to the firm conclusion that King Richard was totally innocent of the death of the Princes. In 1990, The Daughter of Time was selected by the British Crime Writers' Association as the greatest mystery novel of all time; The Franchise Affair was 11th on the same list of 100 books. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by Josephine Tey
Four, Five & Six by Tey: The Daughter of Time, The Singing Sands, A Shilling for Candles (1958) 155 copies, 2 reviews
Remember Caesar 3 copies
Rahab 2 copies
Plays 2 2 copies
Reckoning 2 copies
Sara 2 copies
Barnharrow 2 copies
Mrs Fry Has a Visitor 2 copies
The Staff-Room 2 copies
The Mother of Masé 2 copies
Three Mrs. Madderleys 2 copies
Sweet Coz 2 copies
Clarion Call 2 copies
Lady Charing Is Cross 2 copies
Leith Sands 2 copies
Deborah 1 copy
Madame Ville d'Aubier 1 copy
[Title missing] 1 copy
The Pen of My Aunt 1 copy
Associated Works
The Edinburgh Mystery: And Other Tales of Scottish Crime (2022) — Contributor — 127 copies, 7 reviews
Ghosts from the Library: Lost Tales of Terror and the Supernatural (2023) — Contributor — 75 copies, 1 review
Reader's Digest Great Stories of Mystery and Suspense, 1974, Volume 2 (1974) — Contributor — 10 copies
Great Mystery Books, 10 Volumes (Journey into Fear, The 39 Steps, And Then There Were None, Maltese Falcon, The Nine Tailors, The Doorbell Rang, The Confidential Agent, The Big… (1967) — Contributor — 6 copies
Brat Farrar | The Brading Collection | The Bride Regrets | Make Haste to Live (1950) — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Mackintosh, Elizabeth
- Other names
- Daviot, Gordon
Tey, Josephine - Birthdate
- 1896-07-25
- Date of death
- 1952-02-13
- Gender
- female
- Education
- Royal Academy
Anstey Physical Training College (1915-1918) - Occupations
- teacher
crime writer
novelist
playwright
author - Organizations
- Voluntary Aid Detachment
- Agent
- Georgia Glover (David Higham Associates) - estate
- Short biography
- Josephine Tey, birth name Elizabeth Mackintosh, was a Scottish-born novelist and playwright. She wrote some of the most acclaimed mysteries in the English language and her books, including the Alan Grant series, are still popular today. She attended the Anstey Physical Training College in Birmingham, England and became a physical education instructor before publishing her first short fiction in periodicals such as the English Review. Her first novel appeared under the pseudonym Gordon Daviot in 1929. Her best known work, The Daughter of Time (1951), is still widely admired not just as a defense of Richard III of England but also as a study of the nature and practice of history writing itself.
- Cause of death
- liver cancer
- Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- Inverness, Inverness-shire, Scotland, UK
- Places of residence
- Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, UK
- Place of death
- London, Middlesex, England, UK
- Burial location
- cremated, ashes scattered
- Map Location
- Scotland, UK
Members
Discussions
NOVEMBER Read - SPOILERS THREAD - Daughter of Time in The Green Dragon (July 2023)
NOVEMBER READ - NO SPOILERS - Daughter of Time in The Green Dragon (November 2014)
Josephine Tey in British & Irish Crime Fiction (April 2014)
***Group Read: Brat Farrar (Spoilers) in 75 Books Challenge for 2010 (April 2010)
***Group Read: Brat Farrar (Spoiler-free) in 75 Books Challenge for 2010 (March 2010)
Reviews
This is Tey's most famous mystery, and is found on almost all "Best Mysteries of All Time" lists, for good reason. Tey's hero detective, Inspector Grant, is laid up in this book with a badly broken leg. He is flat on his back in hospital and bored out of his mind. A friend suggests that perhaps he could amuse himself investigating unsolved crimes in history. He ends up fascinated with the story of Richard III, famed hunchback king notorious for having had his two young nephews (The Princes show more in the Tower) murdered prior to his own death in battle at Bosworth field. And he slowly comes to the conclusion, after rigorous investigation in the police manner, aided by a young American historian looking a project to do the leg work, that Richard was the victim of the syndrome of history being written by the winners. He finds Richard not only not guilty, but even admirable.
It's a theory not original to Tey, and not universally accepted, but very logically presented. And by presenting it in a popular novel, rather than a dry historical tome, she did wonders in rehabilitating the image of Richard III, and introducing the potential of history for popular consumption. It's a fascinating book, that deserves it's stellar reputation. show less
It's a theory not original to Tey, and not universally accepted, but very logically presented. And by presenting it in a popular novel, rather than a dry historical tome, she did wonders in rehabilitating the image of Richard III, and introducing the potential of history for popular consumption. It's a fascinating book, that deserves it's stellar reputation. show less
I always look forward to reading Josephine Tey with anticipation and To Love and Be Wise fulfilled all my expectations. When an unusually good looking young man steps into the life of best-selling author Lavina Fitch’s household he appears to be focusing his charm on Lavinia’s niece, Liz. He also befriends Liz’s fiancé Walter, a well-known radio broadcaster, and together they conceive of a shared book project. But what really lies behind Leslie Searle’s insinuation into this family? show more When he suddenly disappears without a trace, Inspector Alan Grant of Scotland Yard must try to solve the mysteries surrounding this disappearance and determine if he is indeed investigating a well-planned murder.
Two words come to mind when I think of Josephine Tey - intelligent and elegant. She never under-estimates her readers, she neither spoon-feeds us nor lead us by the hand into her complex stories. The mysteries are used to this writers’ best advantage, that of exploring characters. Major or minor, her characters are well developed, unique and real. There is a sophistication to her books that never condecends it simply adds to the style.
To Love and Be Wise, with it’s detailed character development and mostly believable plot twists ensures that this book still stands up well even 60 plus years after publication. I enjoy the mysteries of Josephine Tey, but for me it’s the quality of the writing that is the main draw. There is a genuine effortlessness and great style to her writing that makes for very pleasurable reading. show less
Two words come to mind when I think of Josephine Tey - intelligent and elegant. She never under-estimates her readers, she neither spoon-feeds us nor lead us by the hand into her complex stories. The mysteries are used to this writers’ best advantage, that of exploring characters. Major or minor, her characters are well developed, unique and real. There is a sophistication to her books that never condecends it simply adds to the style.
To Love and Be Wise, with it’s detailed character development and mostly believable plot twists ensures that this book still stands up well even 60 plus years after publication. I enjoy the mysteries of Josephine Tey, but for me it’s the quality of the writing that is the main draw. There is a genuine effortlessness and great style to her writing that makes for very pleasurable reading. show less
‘Brat Farrar’ is an impressively tense mystery. The plotting is extremely adroit and the characters very intriguing. As the book starts, a young man claiming to be a long-lost relative reappears and the Ashby family of rural gentry must decide whether to accept him or not. The reader knows from the start that the titular character is an imposter, thus sharing his fear of discovery and guilt for misleading a family he grows to love. The characterisation is witty and has dated hardly at show more all; the women are pleasingly practical. Brat Farrar, the narrator, is delightfully enigmatic yet sympathetic. Even though I have no interest in horse riding, Tey somehow makes it involving. Once I’d got twenty pages in, I was hooked.
I uncharacteristically managed to guess the twist quite early on, so was on tenterhooks to see whether my hunch was correct.As soon as Simon met Brat-as-Patrick, I theorised that Simon had killed the real Patrick. Then I wondered if Patrick had killed Simon, or witnessed his accidental death, then taken his place for some reason. When Brat began to suspect Simon’s murderousness, I returned to my initial hypothesis. And it proved to be right! This made the ending especially satisfactory. I also liked that things weren’t tied up too neatly although I did wonder what happened to Alec Loding. Any comeuppance? How would he even find out what happened to Brat? What a satisfying little mystery novel, written in an elegant, understated style. show less
I uncharacteristically managed to guess the twist quite early on, so was on tenterhooks to see whether my hunch was correct.
I enjoyed this book very much.
It is the second book in the Inspector Grant series and features the death of a very talented, popular movie star. There are few clues at the scene, since she was drowned at a secluded beach and the tide has obliterated anything of use. One suspect delivers himself up immediately, but claims to be innocent. The evidence, however circumstantial, all points to him and he is arrested.
The quickness and cleanliness of the arrest pleases everyone: the press, the show more public, and the constabulary all the way up to the Commissioner. Grant also acknowledges that it is “a good enough case”. But. Grant has a niggling feeling, based on a small anomaly. Why can’t he let this go, as everyone advises? Is it just his liking for the suspect getting in the way of the facts? Tey does a brilliant job of outlining the competing forces pulling at Grant: the conviction of his superiors about the solidity of the case versus his “feeling”.
This book also has a very interesting character in Erica Burgoyne, the 17-year-old daughter of the Chief Constable. At points the book breaks briefly to tell the story from her point of view before returning to Grant’s pursuits. She is unconventional, forthright, and has a keen intellect. I am hoping to see more of her in subsequent books!
In each of Tey’s books that I’ve read, she can in a few strokes give a realistic and detailed picture of a section of English society: touts at the racetrack, shopkeepers opening up on a Monday morning, London theatre-goers. The social satire is gentle but hits true even today. In one instance, she makes sharp observations about the symbiotic relationship between the sensationalist celebrity-obsessed press and its readers. Here is an excerpt, where a reporter (Jammy Hopkins) laments being chastised for printing hearsay:
In this novel, Tey shows the dogged, unglamorous work that policemen have to do to track down clues and gather evidence. What could be dry in other hands is smooth in Tey’s and does not slow down the story; rather, it gives a deeper dimension to Grant’s character.
Though it is second in the Grant series, this can be read out of order from the first book ([b:Man in the Queue|243400|The Man in the Queue|Josephine Tey|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327960525s/243400.jpg|1844331]) with no harm. show less
It is the second book in the Inspector Grant series and features the death of a very talented, popular movie star. There are few clues at the scene, since she was drowned at a secluded beach and the tide has obliterated anything of use. One suspect delivers himself up immediately, but claims to be innocent. The evidence, however circumstantial, all points to him and he is arrested.
The quickness and cleanliness of the arrest pleases everyone: the press, the show more public, and the constabulary all the way up to the Commissioner. Grant also acknowledges that it is “a good enough case”. But. Grant has a niggling feeling, based on a small anomaly. Why can’t he let this go, as everyone advises? Is it just his liking for the suspect getting in the way of the facts? Tey does a brilliant job of outlining the competing forces pulling at Grant: the conviction of his superiors about the solidity of the case versus his “feeling”.
This book also has a very interesting character in Erica Burgoyne, the 17-year-old daughter of the Chief Constable. At points the book breaks briefly to tell the story from her point of view before returning to Grant’s pursuits. She is unconventional, forthright, and has a keen intellect. I am hoping to see more of her in subsequent books!
In each of Tey’s books that I’ve read, she can in a few strokes give a realistic and detailed picture of a section of English society: touts at the racetrack, shopkeepers opening up on a Monday morning, London theatre-goers. The social satire is gentle but hits true even today. In one instance, she makes sharp observations about the symbiotic relationship between the sensationalist celebrity-obsessed press and its readers. Here is an excerpt, where a reporter (Jammy Hopkins) laments being chastised for printing hearsay:
“Jammy consigned them all to perdition…What did the Yard want to take it like that for? Everyone knew that what you wrote in a paper was just eye-wash. When it wasn’t bilge-water. If you stopped being dramatic over little tuppenny no-account things, people might begin to suspect that they were no-account, and then they’d stop buying papers….You’d got to provide emotions for all those moribund wage-earners who were too tired or too dumb to feel anything on their own behalf. If you couldn’t freeze their blood, then you could sell them a good sob or two.” (p.172)
In this novel, Tey shows the dogged, unglamorous work that policemen have to do to track down clues and gather evidence. What could be dry in other hands is smooth in Tey’s and does not slow down the story; rather, it gives a deeper dimension to Grant’s character.
Though it is second in the Grant series, this can be read out of order from the first book ([b:Man in the Queue|243400|The Man in the Queue|Josephine Tey|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327960525s/243400.jpg|1844331]) with no harm. show less
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Awards
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Statistics
- Works
- 50
- Also by
- 11
- Members
- 20,046
- Popularity
- #1,081
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 739
- ISBNs
- 501
- Languages
- 16
- Favorited
- 91
