Chris Stewart shot to fame with Driving Over Lemons, which became an international bestseller, as did its sequels, A Parrot in the Pepper Tree, The Almond Blossom Appreciation Society and The Last Days of the Bus Club.

Chris had prepared for life on his Spanish mountain farm with jobs of doubtful relevance. He was the original drummer in Genesis (he played on the first album), then joined a circus, learnt how to shear sheep, went to China to write the Rough Guide, gained a pilot's license in Los Angeles, and crewed a sailing boat across the Atlantic (a story told in his book, Three Ways to Capsize a Boat). Everyone always wants to know if Chris and Ana are still living on their farm, El Valero. Of course they are! Along with numerous dogs, cats, chickens and sheep.

Anna Jackson is Deputy Keeper of the V&A's Asian Department. She c0-curated Encounters: the Meeting of Asia and Europe 1500-1800 with Amin Jaffer and co-edited the accompanying book (V&A 2004).

She is also the author of Japanese Textiles (V&A 2000) and EXPO (V&A 2008) and a contributor to Art Deco (V&A 2003).