Jon Wynne-Tyson | |
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 Wynne-Tyson in 1986 | |
| Born | Jon Linden Wynne-Tyson (1924-07-06)6 July 1924 Hampshire, England |
| Died | 26 March 2020(2020-03-26) (aged 95) West Sussex, England |
| Education | Brighton College |
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| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
| Mother | Esmé Wynne-Tyson |
Jon Linden Wynne-Tyson (6 July 1924 – 26 March 2020) was an English author, publisher,[1][2]Quaker, activist andpacifist, who founded Centaur Press in 1954.[3] He ran Centaur Press from his home inSussex and was a distinguished independent publisher.[2][4] He authored books onanimal rights andvegetarianism.[1] At one time Wynne-Tyson held the title of "King of Redonda", a literary title referencing a small island.[5]
Jon Linden Wynne-Tyson was born inHampshire, England on 6 July 1924.[6] His mother wasEsmé Wynne-Tyson, a former child actress and writer,[7] and his father was Linden Charles Tyson, an officer in theRoyal Air Force.[2] He attendedBrighton College, but left at age 15, when his father could not longer afford the school fees after rejoining the RAF, on the outbreak ofWorld War II.[6] Wynne-Tyson was registered as aconscientious objector, so did not fight in the war, instead working as amarket gardener with other pacifists and Quakers.[6]
In 1950, Wynne-Tyson married Joan Stanton, they had a daughter together. In 1956, after their divorce, he married Jennifer Tyson (no relation); they also had a daughter.[6]
In 1985, he received the Animal Rights Writing Award from theInternational Society for Animal Rights.[8] His workThe Extended Circle, was endorsed by animal rights philosophersTom Regan andPeter Singer.[9]
In 1989, Wynne-Tyson published the playMarvellous Party about his mother and a visit from her close friendNoël Coward. He later adapted it into a radio play which was broadcast on the BBC world service in May 1994.[10]
His last book was an autobiography entitledFinding the Words: A Publishing Life,[11] which focused on his life in publishing. His autobiography also details the friendship between his mother and Noël Coward.[4]
In 2016, he became a patron of Quaker Concern for Animals.[12]
Wynne-Tyson died on 26 March 2020, at the age of 95.[6][13]
Founded in 1954, Centaur Press was a full-time independent publishing company until it was sold to another small publisher, in 1998.[6] The output from Centaur Press ranged from small stories illustrated by his first wife Joan Stanton, to the substantial hardback seriesCentaur Classics, which included such titles as Leland's five-volumeItinerary in England and Wales, Tyndale's translation of thePentateuch, and Burns'Commonplace Book.[11] The company expanded intohumane education, under the imprint, Kinship Library,[6] releasing titles on topics such as vegetarianism, animal rights, and related philosophy.[6] The firm also published works of fiction (So Say Banana Bird), classical literature and philosophy (The Myths of Plato) and poetry.
Wynne-Tyson was the author of the book,Food for a Future: The Ecological Priority of a Humane Diet, first published in 1975. It was republished asFood for a Future: The Complete Case For Vegetarianism, in 1979. The book argues from anatomy, physiology, and pathology, that humans are naturally vegetarian and provides ecological necessities for giving up eating and slaughtering animals.[14][15]
Reviewing the book in theNew Scientist magazine, science writerColin Tudge commented that the "man-is-a-vegetarian thesis is ecological unnecessary, and biology unsound", but that vegetarians do have worthwhile things to say.[14] The book was negatively reviewed in theMedical History journal.[15]
Wynne-Tyson's bookFood for a Future has a chapter "The Further Step" which is supportive of veganism but he remained a vegetarian in his personal life.[8]
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