From unspectacular beginnings as a Bristol graffiti artist, Banksy now sees his artwork sold at auction for six-figure sums to hang on celebrities" walls. The appearance of a new Banksy is national news, people queue for hours to see his latest exhibition, and his documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop was nominated for an Oscar. Less edgy outsider these days than national treasure, who is Banksy and how did he become what he is today? In this first full account of Banksy"s life and world -appropriately unofficial and utterly unauthorised - Will Ellsworth-Jones pieces together a picture of an enigmatic figure who, accused of being a vandal and celebrated as an outlaw, has become a cultural phenomenon.