The Gay Fireside Companion

From the Foreword by the author -- "This current book is meant to be an offbeat reference book to be read for pleasure, an informative book that is meant to provide entertainment. A friend of mine likes to say that everything in my books must pass what he calls the 'Did You Know' test--in other words, if you're reading one of the books with someone else in the room, you're going to want to look up and say, 'Oh my God, listen to this!' or 'Did you know such-and-such?' In reality, of course, there is no such test and I'm not consciously aware of any specific criteria as I put the books together. I just pick things that amuse, enrage, or astonish me, or that bear repeating or are worth remembering, or that answer questions I've always wanted an answer to, such as 'Who actually invented the jockstrap?' or 'What is absinthe?' or 'What is specifically involved in a male-to-female transsexual operation?' One way or another, everything in these books reflects an almost obsessive curiosity about the world and gay life."