Mark Mason
Author
Mark Mason’s non-fiction includes Walk the Lines, for which he walked the entire London Underground system overground ('awesome' - BBC6 Music; 'an extraordinary odyssey' - Robert Elms), and The Importance of Being Trivial, a look at why we’re fascinated with trivia ('an irresistibly hapless charm' - The Guardian ; 'I loved the book' - Richard and Judy).
Mark has written for most national newspapers, as well as magazines from The Spectator to Four Four Two via The Oldie. He has also addressed the nation...
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Latest Release
The Book of Seconds by Mark Mason
Did you know that the second man to swim the Channel drank 20 drops of champagne every hour? Or that the second crew to land on the Moon danced to a pop song in zero gravity? Or that the second man to run a sub-4-minute mile once stopped to check on a fallen rival - but still managed to win the race?
You probably didn't - because seconds never get the attention they deserve. This book reveals the people and things who until now have been kept in the shadow of the firsts. We'll glory in the achievements of the nearly-men and nearly-women, not to mention nearly-skyscrapers, nearly-LPs and nearly-deserts.
Above all we'll see how so-called 'runners-up' can be exciting, intriguing and heroic. Step forward, seconds - your time in the spotlight has come at last.
