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Mark Ovenden F.R.G.S. (born 20 June 1963, London, UK) is a broadcaster and author who specialises in the subjects of graphic design, cartography and architecture in public transport, with an emphasis on underground rapid transit.

His first book Metro Maps of the World published in 2003 is a guide to the diagrams, plans and maps of every underground rapid transit system including images ranging from photos of the systems to rare and historical maps and every available current official plan. The book was supported by the UITP, the international association of transport operators, and by the London Transport Museum. A Dutch edition was published in autumn 2006 (titled Metrokaarten van de wereld), and an American edition (entitled Transit Maps of the World) was launched on 30 October 2007 by Penguin Books.

Paris Metro Style in map and station design, was published November 2008. Endorsed by the RATP, it traces the cartographic evolution and graphic design of the Paris Metro. It also covers the evolution of diagrams in mapping of the Paris Metro. A revised American edition with a different title was published October 2009 and a French edition is underway. The author is now preparing a new book for Penguin on 'Railway Maps of the World' (due 2011) and several others about the wider aspects of graphic design on public transport systems are in preparation.

Ovenden was previously a journalist, news presenter and radio producer. He was the impetus for Due South Magazine and half of the an independent production company, 'OutSpoken', which made a lesbian and gay series for BBC Radio 1 (Loud'n'proud), and has worked in TV and radio for Kiss 102, as Programme Manager; Kiss 100, newsreader; BBC Radio Five, reporter; BBC Radio 1, producer of the Annie Nightingale show; Planet 24, researcher on GayTimeTV; BBC Two, contributor to Map Man; Ministry of Sound, Head of Radio; LBC, producer; and MTV, music programmer. At Atlantic 252 he was a producer and newsreader and co-presented a review show with Chris Coco. He also spent several years (1990—1993) working for Manchester City Council's Equality Group as a Gay Men's officer, charged with implementing their policy of non-discrimination and giving training sessions to staff countering homophobia, during the period when Section 28 was being enforced.

This author page uses material from the Wikipedia article "Mark Ovenden", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0