Michael Jacobs was born in Italy and studied Art History at the Courtauld Institute of Art, from which he has a doctorate. Spain has obsessed him since childhood and his numerous books include Andalucia, Between Hopes and Memories: A Spanish Journey and most recently Alhambra. He is a member of the Andalucian Academy of Gastronomy and in 2002 was made the first foreign knight of 'The Very Noble and Illustrious Order of the Wooden Spoon'.