Part One reproduces Montagu's own memoirs which he wrote in the 1930s, but which lay undiscovered in a black box until the 1960s. The book provides a fascinating insight into the life and times of Montagu Pyke (1874-1935); the ostentatious, prominent cinema pioneer and entrepreneur. He has been variously described as a crook and a charlatan, as well as a hero and one of London's most notable and notorious early cinema kings. Monty was determined to create a chain of London cinemas which he saw as a diversion for the people during the austere times of the early 1900s.

Part Two is Chris's recollections of his family and details his painstaking research into his own family history. Apart from Monty, there are other notable Pykes and Chris is still busy digging into the intriguing history of the Pyke dynasty.