Christopher Lloyd Books

Following the success of Colour for Adventurous Gardeners, the most adventurous gardener of all time is back to reveal how he plans, creates and maintains his celebrated borders.

Discover how science, nature and history connect in this fast-paced, entertaining and incredibly informative history of the world, from the beginning of time to the present day.

Christopher Lloyd has been writing a weekly column in Country Life since 1963. His prose is exciting; his knowledge is vast; his ideas are provocative, and what is the true test of a writer who has transcended his medium, he makes you laugh out loud. This book intends to capture the essence of Christopher Lloyd and of his garden at Great Dixter.

Edgar Degas (1834-1917) was described as 'the most intelligent, the most demanding, the most merciless draughtsman in the world' by the poet and critic Paul Valéry and today Degas is considered one of the outstanding draughtsmen of the late nineteenth century. His powerful drawings and the pastels, which he himself characterized as 'orgies of colour', are some of the most compelling works in western art.Drawing was not only the central tenet of Degas's art but also virtually a daily activity. Through an examination of the artist's drawings and pastels, which exist in great number and variety, Christopher Lloyd examines the development of Degas's style and outlines the story of his life in the contexts of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism.Following a broadly chronological approach, Lloyd discusses the wide range of Degas's work: the images of ballet dancers (which form over half of the artist's oeuvre), jockeys, laundresses, milliners and female nudes, as well as the less well-known landscape drawings. With over 200 illustrations that capture the most fleeting of subtleties and shades, this book provides a comprehensive and engaging account of the artist as draughtsman.

Philip de László, following a meteoric rise to recognition in his native Hungary, settled in Britain in 1907 and became the leading portrait-painter in the country―taking over from Sargent. Marrying into the Guiness family, he painted members of almost every royal family in Europe and very many more of its Who’s Who. This book, the previous edition of which accompanied the first retrospective exhibition of de László since his death in 1937, illustrates a rich and representative selection of his work, drawn from a range of private collections, and, aided by stunning color plates, reintroduces this well-known but little studied artist to a wider public.

A timeless gardening classic by Christopher Lloyd, one of Britain's most highly respected plantsmen, updated for the 21st century. With a new foreword by Anna Pavord.

How old is the universe? How are humans related to a sponge? Where did most of the world's water come from? How much would a complete T Rex skeleton cost? Where did the Himalayas come from? Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Whatever the size and situation of your yard, you can learn how to create and cultivate an idyllic cottage garden, one of the best-loved and most enduring gardening styles. Tracing the development of the cottage garden from the humble vegetable patch to the lush flower garden, Christopher Lloyd and Richard Bird analyze what defines a cottage garden - a working garden that is as productive as it is charming. Full-color plans show how to utilize and organize the space available, whether creating a decorative flower garden with pinks and delphiniums, or a full working garden with fruits, rotation crops, and livestock. Easy-to-follow advice explains how structural features such as paths, fences, arbors and ponds are best combined with flowers, vegetables, hedges and trees.

This series acts as an introduction to key artists and movements in art history. Each title contains 48 full-page colour plates, accompanied by extensive notes, and numerous comparative illustrations in colour or black and white, a concise introduction, select bibliography and detailed source information for the images. Monographs on individual artists also feature a brief chronology.

Focusing on the golden age of British sea power, this book explores significant events following Nelson's death, including the defeat of Napoleon, the American War, and the rise of the steamship. It captures heroic episodes while examining the Navy's vital role in both wartime and peacetime, emphasizing its relationship with the nation during a transformative period of imperial expansion and the emergence of new threats.