The life and work of John Triseliotis

John Triseliotis died on 29 September 2012, aged 83. He was a pioneering figure in the field of adoption and fostering whose work and policy influence will benefit social workers, researchers and others involved in adoption and child welfare for many years to come. In addition to his wider influence, John regularly reviewed books for this journal and was always very willing to comment on submissions, most recently a study of illegal practices in the Greek domestic adoption system (Nanou, 2011), a topic close to his heart. Following individual tributes from three of John's colleagues and friends, and to mark his contribution, we are reprinting extracts from his influential book In Search of Origins: The experiences of adopted people (1973).¹ The study on which it is based led to the reforms made later that decade, giving adopted people the right to seek information about their backgrounds and the circumstances surrounding their adoption.