MARK MASON
After several years at the BBC, where he produced programmes for Radio 4 and Radio 5 Live, Mark Mason left to become a full-time writer. His novels garnered praise such as ‘Mason’s natural voice is that of “everybloke” – the Nick Hornby of Fever Pitch or the John O’Farrell of The Best A Man Can Get’.
His non-fiction includes the Bluffer’s Guide to Bond and the Bluffer’s Guide to Football, as well as The Importance of Being Trivial, a look at why we’re fascinated with trivia. It was lauded by reviewers as diverse as The Guardian (‘an irresistibly hapless charm’), Richard and Judy (‘I loved the book’) and Popular Science (‘works like the best of such titles, taking us on a personal excursion ... it’s an explanation of fundamental human behaviour’).
Mason has written for most national newspapers, as well as magazines from The Spectator to Four Four Two via Glamour. He has also addressed the nation on many radio and TV networks, occasionally on subjects he knows something about.
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LATEST BOOK: WALK THE LINES: The London Underground... Overground
As a lifelong fan of London, Mark Mason embarked on a mission to ‘conquer’ the capital once and for all. The only way to truly discover a city, they say, is on foot. Taking this to extremes, Mark set out to walk the entire length of the London Underground – overground – passing every station on the way.
Over the course of several hundred miles, he comes to understand a sprawling metropolis that never ceases to surprise. In a story packed with historical trivia, personal musings and eavesdropped conversations, Mark learns how to get the best gossip in a City pub, how the Ritz made its female guests feel good about themselves and why the Bank of England won’t let you join the M11 northbound at Junction 5. He has an East End cup of tea with the Krays’ official biographer, discovers what cabbies mean by ‘on the cotton’, and meets the Archers star who was the voice of ‘Mind the Gap’.
During his travels Mark contemplates London’s contradictions as well as its charms. He gains insights into our fascination with maps and sees how walking changes our view of the world. Above all, in this love letter to a complicated friend, he celebrates the sights, sounds and soul of the greatest city on earth.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: The Importance of Being Trivial: In Search of the Perfect Fact; Random House, 2008, The Bluffer’s Guide to Bond; Oval Books, 2006, The C Words; Time Warner, 2005, The Catch; Time Warner, 2004, What Men Think About Sex; Time Warner, 2002, The Bluffer’s Guide to Football; Oval Books, 2001.
