A lavish look at the real world--both the secret history and the behind-the-scenes drama--of the spellbinding Emmy Award-winning Masterpiece TV series "Downton Abbey""" "April 1912. The sun is rising behind Downton Abbey, a great and splendid house in a great and splendid park. So secure does it appear that it seems as if the way it represents will last for another thousand years. It won't.

" Millions of American viewers were enthralled by the world of "Downton Abbey, " the mesmerizing TV drama of the aristocratic Crawley family--and their servants--on the verge of dramatic change. On the eve of Season 2 of the TV presentation, this gorgeous book--illustrated with sketches and research from the production team, as well as on-set photographs from both seasons--takes us even deeper into that world, with fresh insights into the story and characters as well as the social history.

JESSICA FELLOWES, is the author of The World of Downton Abbey, based on the Emmy Award winning television series, Downton Abbey. She is a journalist and the former Deputy Editor of Country Life, as well as the niece of Julian Fellowes. She lives in London with her husband and son.

JULIAN FELLOWES is the Emmy Award-winning writer and creator of the TV series Downton Abbey. He is also the Academy Award-winning screenwriter of Gosford Park and the author of the New York Times bestselling novel Snobs. He lives in London and Dorset.