Contemporary art has become a mass entertainment, a luxury good, a job description and, for some, a kind of alternative religion. Sarah Thornton's shrewd and entertaining fly-on-the-wall narrative takes us behind the scenes of the art world, from art school to auction house, showing us how it works, and giving us a vivid sense of being there.

Sarah Thornton has written about the art world and art market for many publications including the Economist, Artform and the New Yorker. Seven Days in the Art World was named one of the best art books of 2008 by the Sunday Times, the Independent and the New York Times. She is also the author of Club Cultures and co-editor of the first edition of the Subcultures Reader. She has a BA in art history and a PhD in sociology and lives in London.