Beth Chatto is a plantswomen, gardener and writer. Whilst having no formal horticultural training, she was inspired by her parents' enthusiastic gardening, her husband's lifelong study of natural associations of plants, and friendship with the great plantsman and artist Sir Cedric Morris.

The Beth Chatto Gardens began at Elmstead Market, Essex in 1960. By applying the principles of ecological gardening, she transformed an overgrown area of wasteland into informal gardens that harmonise with the surrounding countryside.

Complementing the gardens is a large plant nursery producing a wide range of unusual plants, which attracts thousands of visitors each year. She has won ten Gold Medals the Chelsea Flower Show and was awarded the Royal Horticultural Society's Victoria Medal of Honour (1987), the Lawrence Memorial Medal and an honorary doctorate from Essex University.

Bestselling author Christopher Lloyd began his career as a journalist with the Sunday Times newspaper. Then, while camping with his family, he had a critical realisation: even with a 1st class degree in history from Cambridge University and experience as a science writer, there was so much about the world he didn’t know.

So, he set out to write books that zoom out and tell the big stories, opening readers’ eyes to how seemingly unrelated events fit together and showing them multiple perspectives on the world, all in highly engaging prose and matched with lively illustration and photography.

Now, with several books in print, including the bestselling What on Earth Happened? and Absolutely Everything, Chris divides his time between writing books and delivering lectures and workshops to schools, literary festivals, and a wide range of other venues around the world. He lives in Tonbridge, Kent, UK, with his wife and two adorable terriers.