Christopher Lloyd

Christopher Lloyd graduated from Peterhouse Cambridge with a double first class degree in History. He then worked as a news reporter and subsequently became Technology Correspondent on The Sunday Times. In 2000 he was hired to run Oxford-based education software company Immersive Education. In 2006 he was inspired to write his first book What on Earth Happened? (Bloomsbury 2008) while he and his wife home-educated their two daughters. It has now sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide and been translated into 15 languages.

In 2010, Lloyd founded children’s non-fiction publishing house What on Earth Publishing, along with illustrator Andy Forshaw, as he wanted to try and help young people (and adults) learn about the real world in a more interconnected way. This led to a series of world history timeline Wallbooks that fold out to tell the stories of history, nature, science, sport and Shakespeare.

In 2015, Lloyd teamed up with Sir Robert Worcester (founder of market research company MORI International) and U.S. publisher Nancy Feresten to build the business in the US and overseas. In 2019 the company created a joint venture with Encyclopedia Britannica Inc and launched a new imprint Britannica Books in October 2020 with its flagship title, edited by Lloyd, The Britannica All New Children’s Encyclopedia: What We Know and What We Don’t. This is the first of many title that will be published by Britannica Book over the coming years.

Lloyd divides his time between writing, speaking (at schools and literary festivals) and giving lectures on tours all over the world. During the Covid 19 lock-down he has developed an innovated virtual quiz show, based on the new Britannica Children’s Encyclopedia. Click here for more information or email chris@whatonearthbooks.com