Book description
As a lifelong fan of London, Mark Mason embarks 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 sets 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'.
On a broader level, 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.
Born in the Midlands in 1971, Mark Mason moved to London when he was
20. Over the next 13 years he sold Christmas cards in Harrods, made
radio programmes for the BBC and busked outside Eric Clapton gigs at the
Royal Albert Hall. He also published three novels, several books of
non-fiction, and wrote for publications as diverse as
The Spectator
and
Four Four Two
. He continues to do some of these things, though has now defected to
Suffolk, where he lives with his partner and son.
