Ian McKellen

Tamesis, a lyrical journey along the River Thames, where water, history and humanity interlace in both intimate and expansive verse composed by Edmund Hall, a lifelong sailor and volunteer RNLI lifeboatman. Hall's verses capture the river, not as a postcard but as a living, breathing force - by turns majestic, dangerous, and tender. His poems flow from Oxfordshire tributaries to London's tidal reaches, weaving together personal experience, urban memory, and ancient echoes of the river's role in shaping lives. With a foreword by Sir Ian McKellen, this collection places the Thames within a cultural and emotional landscape that feels at once timeless and contemporary. Hall's verse, at times reflective and elegiac, at times raw with grit and immediacy, recalls the everyday realities of service on the lifeboat as much as it celebrates the beauty of a sunset on Barn Elms Reach or the stillness of Sonning's trout pools. The river here is never mere scenery - it is character, companion, and witness. The book is illustrated with hand-drawn images inspired by the poems. Illustrated by Gary Partridge, a Coldstream Guards veteran turned artist, Tamesis pairs the words and emotions of the verses, with a series of unique images inspired by them.

A memoir from the writer of BENT with a foreword by Ian McKellenSherman takes us on a journey through America in the mid twentieth century, starting in New Jersey – where he was born in the 1930s to a Jewish immigrant family – ending on Broadway with the premier of his seminal play Bent starring Richard Gere. On route, we encounter other famous performers including Meryl Streep, Bee Gees, Joan Baez, but the scene-stealing character is always his father – a charismatic narcissist who might have given Trump a run for his money. We stop off in Woodstock, Los Angeles and London – a city Martin would eventually make home; he relays his story with self-depreciating humour as he struggles to make it in theatre, with his sexuality, and under the shadow of the inheritable disease that killed his mother tragically early – a disease from which he finds himself finally free, as he turns forty in the book's closing pages.Editor Nathan Evans says, 'It's an honour to be working with Martin on his memoir: he's such an important cultural figure, and a mentor for me, personally. I remember being nineteen, sat in the back of my parents' car surrounded by boxes: I was on my way back to university, learning lines for a play I was in later that term. Mum turned around and asked what it was about; I didn't need to answer: I simply showed her the cover, with those four bold letters. Although it would take her some more months to ask the next question, she knew then; I am just one of the many, many young men – from 1979 right through to the present – who've been so emboldened by Bent. This is the story of the man who had the honesty, and the bravery to write it.'

Everybody loves secrets. We're all fascinated by celebrities, the rich, the powerful, and the famous. When scandals break out we want to read all about it. And the surest way to get anyone's attention is to start talking about sex. Now there's a book that has all this and much more, with over 900 amazing stories about prominent people from ancient Egypt to the 21st century who, in their personal lives, all had one thing in common. They were all gay, lesbian, or bisexual. Movie stars, musicians, kings, queens, soldiers, athletes, scientists, and even religious leaders from all over the world. The book is called Queers in History. It's a funny title and definitely a fun read. But there's also tons of serious useful information revealing a secret side of these famous personalities. Queers in History reveals the compelling stories about some of your favorite folks that are usually left out of their official biographies. Did you know that, for instance: * Joan Crawford and Marilyn Monroe had a one-night-stand? * Leonardo da Vinci was imprisoned twice for same-sex affairs? * Leonard Bernstein had an affair with an Israeli soldier? * The lesbian wife of a gay actor accused Howard Hughes of having an affair with her husband shortly before his mysterious murder? * The founder of Shinto Buddhism also founded a tradition of male-male love in Japan? * Angelina Jolie wanted to marry her "Firefox" co-star Jenny Shimizu? * The wife of one US president moved her girlfriend into the White House, and another US President shared his White House bed with the male chief of his security detail? * An heroic soldier in the US Revolution was actually a woman in disguise, who "married" another woman after her service in the Continental Army? * And in 1886, when US officials asked an Indian tribe to send "their best woman" to visit Washington, DC, the tribe chose instead to send a man in a dress?These are just a few of the historical facts you'll learn from Queers in History. It took 17 years to gather the information that fills over 500 pages in this trade paperback. One of the most amazing facts is that Queers in History is only $13.67 if you pre-order on Amazon.com . That's a lot less than a penny per fact, all from reliable sources.But Queers in History is much more than a collection of facts. Each person's life is presented as an entertaining short story, showing how their sexuality affected their lives and their work. And though it's about gay people, it's something everybody will be interested in, especially straight people who may not know as much as they think they do about some of their favorite celebrities. The previous edition got rave reviews in USA Today, Wired magazine, The Village Voice, and many others.Put this book on your coffee table before your next party and a few minutes later it will be the main topic of conversation. Just don't put it in the bathroom because the first person in there may lock the door and not come out until they've finished reading it. My name's Keith Stern, I wrote Queers in History, and I've produced some of the most popular biographical websites on the Internet. Sir Ian McKellen, better known as Gandalf and Magneto in the movies, has contributed an inspirational foreword to the book. Visit www.queersinhistory.com for more information.