Books published by Vesper Hawk Publishing

This is the first and only book about the man-monkey phenomenon and its major stars. A non-academic survey of the many actors who have played apes and gorillas from 1801 to the present day.

The lives of eminent London actors of the Regency period - Kean, Mrs Siddons, Kemble, Cooke, Macready, Grimaldi et al are more than amply recorded. This book ploughs a more unusual, rarer, furrow. It reveals the theatrical lives of a family of provincial players who tramped the highways and byways bringing the latest London hits and classic plays to unsophisticated audiences in tiny country theatres and large manufacturing towns. The author offers not a specialist tome for theatre historians - although they will find previously unknown material and new revelations here - but a beguiling story of a family of three thespian siblings, their spouses and their children. This is a Regency world far removed from the novels of Jane Austen. There are highs and lows, riches and poverty, twists and turns, and extraordinary events as in the script of any modern television saga. The marked difference being that - for the Jonas and Penley Company of Comedians - this was real life.

In recent years interest in Sherlock Holmes has burgeoned due to new cinema films and television series. Unfortunately, these have distorted the beloved originals by either making them action-heroes, transplanting them to modern times, or both. Poor old Holmes has been mangled and distorted to provide fodder for many ludicrous yarns and unbelievable concepts. In complete contrast, Alan Stockwell sincerely imitates the authentic Conan Doyle style and his tales are credible and entertaining. The conventions are observed and nothing anachronistic appears in his work. These stories exude the essential period ambiance, and the reader will find himself comfortably at home in the late Victorian era. Alan Stockwell's first collection of Sherlock Holmes stories garnered much praise from aficionados when first published in 2003 and is now in its third edition. In response to many requests, he now offers a collection of ten new Sherlock Holmes stories told in the authentic manner. Here you will find the dreadful ordeal of Oscar Wilde, the escape of the wild wolves, and the Surrey man-monkey among the tales. And Dr Watson at last reveals the long-hidden secret of the politician, the lighthouse, and the trained cormorant.

"This delightful collection of easy-to-make puppets will be a boon to all parents and teachers. The puppets are all based on an ordinary household-size matchbox which enables them to have opening mouths."--Back cover.