© John Loper

Elizabeth Abbott is a writer and historian with a special interest in social justice and women's issues, the treatment and lives of animals, and the environment. Before moving to Toronto in 1991, she lived in Montreal and Port-au-Prince. She has a doctorate from McGill University and is a Research Associate at Trinity College, University of Toronto where from 1991 to 2004 she was Dean of Women. Her books have been translated into 16 languages, and include the best-selling A History of Celibacy and A History of Mistresses. A History of Marriage (2010) is the final volume in this historical relationship trilogy. In 1991 Abbott won a National Magazine Award for Environmental Writing. Her book, Sugar: A Bittersweet History, was short-listed for the 2009 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction. 
Abbott lives with dogs and cats and is a dog rescuer. She coordinated Mt. Sinai Hospital's pet therapy program for over a decade and served as Vice-President of a local historical society. She is the Antigua and Barbuda Association of Toronto's Book Drive Coordinator, and volunteers for Tafelmusik. She is a member of two books clubs.
Elizabeth Abbott's website is www.elizabethabbott.ca 

PUBLICATIONS: 
A History of Marriage (2010)
Sugar: A Bittersweet History (2008)
A History of Mistresses. (2003)
A History of Celibacy. (1999)
Chronicle of Canada. (Ed. In chief.) (1990)
Haiti: The Duvaliers and their Legacy. (1988)
Tropical Obsession: A Universal Tragedy in Four Acts. (1986)

AWARDS:  
National Magazine Award for Environmental Writing, 1991. "Haiti: Where Rivers Run Brown."Sugar: A Bittersweet History was short-listed for the 2009 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction