Christopher Simon Sykes

Estelle Ellis

Caroline Seebohm

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The story of the catastrophic British mishandling of the Middle East, told through the career of Sir Mark Sykes - Edwardian aristocrat, traveller, writer, politician and co-author of the infamous 1916 Sykes-Picot agreement, a shady deal between Entente powers to carve up the Middle East that lies at the heart of many of region's problems today. At the age of only 36 Sir Mark Sykes was signatory to a reviled and notorious treaty, drawn up in May 1916 between the French and the British, that divided up the collapsing Ottoman Empire in the event of an allied victory in World War One. Written without any Arab involvement, it negated an earlier promise that the British Government had made to the Arabs that they would gain independence. Drawn up in secret, a controversy has raged around it ever since.

a story of empire, conflict and the Sykes-Picot agreement

The man who created the Middle East

Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton is far more than a rock star. Like Dylan and McCartney he is an icon and a living legend. He has sold tens of millions of records, played sell-out concerts all over the world and been central to the significant musical developments of his era. His guitar playing has seen him hailed as 'God'.

The Autobiography

At the age of only 36, Sir Mark Sykes was signatory to the Sykes-Picot agreement, one of the most reviled treaties of modern times. A century later, Christopher Sykes’ lively biography of his grandfather reassesses his life and work, and the political instability and violence in the Middle East attributed to it.

The Man Who Created the Middle East: A Story of Empire, Conflict and the Sykes-Picot Agreement

In this fascinating and entertaining second volume, Christopher Sykes explores the life and work of Britain's most popular living artist. David Hockney's career has spanned and epitomised the art movements of the past five decades. Volume 1 covered his early life: his precocious achievement at Bradford Art College and the Swinging 60s in London, where he befriended many of the iconic cultural figures of the generation. Picking up Hockney's story in 1975, this volume finds him flitting between Notting Hill and California, where he took inspiration for the swimming pool series of paintings; creating the acclaimed set designs for operas around the world; and embracing emerging technologies - the camera and fax machine in the 1970s and 80s, and most recently the iPad. Hockney's boundless energy extends to his personal life too, and this volume illuminates the glamorous circles he moved in, as well as his sometimes turbulent relationships. With unprecedented access to Hockney's paintings, notebooks, diaries and the man himself, this second volume continues the lively and revelatory account of an acclaimed artist and an extraordinary man.

Hockney: the Biography

The astounding first volume, exploring the fascinating world of the most popular living artist in Britain today. David Hockney's career has spanned and epitomised the art movements of the last five decades. His story is one of precocious achievement at Bradford Art College, the Swinging 60s in London where he befriended many of the iconic cultural figures of the generation, to California and the cool of the swimming pool series of paintings, through the acclaimed set designs for countless operas around the world and major retrospective exhibitions at The Tate and The Royal Academy of Art. With unprecedented access to interviews, family and friends and Hockney's own notebooks and paintings, this volume will deliver an honest and revelatory account of the man who many believe to be Britain's greatest living artist.

Hockney: the Biography Volume 1

In this fascinating and entertaining second volume, Christopher Sykes explores the life and work of Britain's most popular living artist. David Hockney's career has spanned and epitomised the art movements of the past five decades. Volume 1 covered his early life: his precocious achievement at Bradford Art College and the Swinging 60s in London, where he befriended many of the iconic cultural figures of the generation. Picking up Hockney's story in 1975, this volume finds him flitting between Notting Hill and California, where he took inspiration for the swimming pool series of paintings; creating the acclaimed set designs for operas around the world; and embracing emerging technologies – the camera and fax machine in the 1970s and 80s, and most recently the iPad. Hockney's boundless energy extends to his personal life too, and this volume illuminates the glamorous circles he moved in, as well as his sometimes turbulent relationships. With unprecedented access to Hockney's paintings, notebooks, diaries and the man himself, this second volume continues the lively and revelatory account of an acclaimed artist and an extraordinary man.

Hockney: The Biography Volume 2

Eric Clapton is far more than a rock star - he is an icon and a living legend. He has sold tens of millions of records, played sell-out concerts all over the world and been central to the significant musical developments of his era. This autobiography tells the story of his personal and professional journeys.

Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd

The Great Houses featured in this book reveal Scots architecture in its grandest forms. The specially commissioned photographs by Christopher Simon Sykes include stunning close-ups of architectural details and objects, and capture the spirit and style of the houses while Hugh Montgomery-Massingberds refreshingly personal and informal text is as much about the families, who in many cases still live in these fascinating places, as about the architecture and decoration. The personal selection of twenty-six houses reflects the development of style in Scotland, from old tower houses such as Cawdor through Baroque masterpieces like Drumlanrig and the pioneering Classicism of Kinross right up to the Edwardian opulence of Manderston and Ardkinglas.

Great Houses of Scotland

the biography

David Hockney

Drawing on exclusive and unprecedented access to David Hockney’s extensive archives, notebooks, and paintings, interviews with family, friends, and on Hockney himself, Christopher Simon Sykes provides a colorful and intimate portrait of one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century. Born in 1937, David Hockney grew up in a northern English town during the days of postwar austerity. By the time he was ten years old he knew he wanted to be an artist, and after leaving school he went on to study at Bradford Art College and later at the Royal College of Art in London. Bursting onto the scene at the Young Contemporaries exhibition, Hockney was quickly heralded as the golden boy of postwar British art and a leading proponent of pop art. It was during the swinging 60s in London that he befriended many of the seminal cultural figures of the generation and throughout these years Hockney's career grew. Always absorbed in his work, he drew, painted and etched for long hours each day, but it was a scholarship that led him to California, where he painted his iconic series of swimming pools. Since then, the most prestigious galleries across the world have devoted countless shows to his extraordinary work. In the seventies he expanded his range of projects, including set and costume design for operas and experiments with photography, lithography, and even photocopying. Most recently he has been at the forefront the art world's digital revolution, producing incredible sketches on his iPhone and iPad, and it is this progressive thinking which has highlighted his genius, vigor and versatility as an artist approaching his 75th birthday. In this, the first volume of Hockney’s biography, detailing his life and work from 1937 - 1975, Sykes explores the fascinating world of the beloved and controversial artist whose career has spanned and epitomized the art movements of the last five decades. "The timing couldn't be better for this enjoyable and well-sourced book, which — like Hockney's own work — is both conversational and perceptive." —Los Angeles Times "To read Christopher Simon Sykes' David Hockney is to marvel at the artistic gifts of the eccentric Yorkshireman who rose from a sometimes pinched childhood to hobnob with poet Stephen Spender and novelist Christopher Isherwood, to party with Mick Jagger and Manolo Blahnik." —The Plain Dealer "Prodigiously entertaining." —Financial Times “A chatty, knowledgeable, insider's biography, full of anecdotes.” —The Guardian

The Biography, 1937-1975

Presents an authorized account of the life and work of the influential British artist.

The Biography, 1975-2014

In this fascinating and entertaining second volume, Christopher Sykes explores the life and work of Britain's most popular living artist. David Hockney's career has spanned and epitomised the art movements of the past five decades. Volume 1 covered his early life- his precocious achievement at Bradford Art College and the Swinging 60s in London, where he befriended many of the iconic cultural figures of the generation. Picking up Hockney's story in 1975, this volume finds him flitting between Notting Hill and California, where he took inspiration for the swimming pool series of paintings; creating the acclaimed set designs for operas around the world; and embracing emerging technologies - the camera and fax machine in the 1970s and 80s, and most recently the iPad. Hockney's boundless energy extends to his personal life too, and this volume illuminates the glamorous circles he moved in, as well as his sometimes turbulent relationships. With unprecedented access to Hockney's paintings, notebooks, diaries and the man himself, this second volume continues the lively and revelatory account of an acclaimed artist and an extraordinary man.

The Biography

Hockney

Please note that some images were unavailable for the electronic edition. The highly praised biography of an archetypal great house and the family who lived there for over 250 years.

The Big House: The Story of a Country House and its Family

Living in England's Private Houses

English Country

Rosemary Shrager

Sue Gaisford

Recipes from Rosemary Shrager's Cookery School on the Isle of Harris

Rosemary, Castle Cook

In this fascinating and entertaining second volume, Christopher Simon Sykes explores the life and work of Britain's most popular living artist. David Hockney is one of the most influential and best-loved artists of the twentieth century. His career has spanned and epitomized the art movements of the past five decades. Picking up Hockney's story in 1975, this book finds him flitting between Notting Hill and California, where he took inspiration for the swimming pool series of paintings; creating acclaimed set designs for operas around the world; and embracing emerging technologies—the Polaroid camera and fax machine in the seventies and eighties and, most recently, the iPad. Hockney's boundless energy extends to his personal life too, and this volume illuminates the glamorous circles he moves in, as well as his sometimes turbulent relationships. Christopher Simon Sykes has been granted exclusive and unprecedented access to Hockney's paintings, notebooks, and diaries, and a great number of them are reproduced here. Featuring interviews with family, friends, and Hockney himself, this is a lively and revelatory account of an acclaimed artist and an extraordinary man.

Christopher Simon Sykes

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