The Beatles Bookstore

BEATLES BEFORE AND BEYOND…AND MORE!!!

BY CAROLE M. HOPKIN

Originally published by Merton Press 2013 reissued in 2026:

A compliment to the author in her native Welsh language:

Carole M. Hopkin yw ffordd ysgolion a gwyddonyddol o gynhyrchion.

English translation of the above commentary in Welsh (according to google translate): “Carole M. Hopkin is a very talented person of great skill.” Sincerely hope that the Welsh phrase did justice to what I was trying to convey!

TALENT RUNS IN THE FAMILY:

A friend in the UK named Geoff Clode first informed me of this book several years ago. It was one of those rare Beatles-related books that had slipped by my awareness and knowledge over the years. When Geoff informed me of the book, I quickly noticed that the book was out-of-print and I could not obtain it anywhere despite an exhaustive search. Geoff Clode came to the rescue and secured a copy for my collection and I was very grateful. Thirteen years after the book’s original publication, it has been reissued as I recently stumbled across the notification in 2026 on Amazon.

Carole M. Hopkin as you will see from the book is a very talented individual, she is an artist and many of her drawings & paintings are exemplary. She has taught her artistic skills, and she has been a world traveler (traveller) using those journeys as subject matter for her artwork. Carole dedicates the book to her sister and her affection for Mary is evident throughout the book and she was very supportive in Mary’s world-wide rise to international fame through her musical talent!

Photographs and sketches used under fair use for this blog post are copyrighted to Carole M. Hopkin

HERE IS THE BOOK:

The back cover of the book:

The author was very kind in sending me a bookplate inscription and signature when she learned of my penchant for collecting signed editions of Beatles-related books:

Carole’s dedication of her book to her sister Mary:

AMAZON US:

BEATLES BEFORE & BEYOND: Hopkin, Carole M., Hopkin, Carole M.: 9798248377626: Amazon.com: Books

AMAZON UK:

BEATLES BEFORE & BEYOND: Amazon.co.uk: Hopkin, Carole M., Hopkin, Carole M.: 9798248377626: Books

KINDLE US:

Amazon.com: BEATLES BEFORE & BEYOND eBook : Hopkin, Carole M.: Kindle Store

KINDLE UK:

BEATLES BEFORE & BEYOND eBook : Hopkin, Carole M.: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

Please note that while the Amazon links are provided here for the book as a convenience to you, the listing of Amazon does not reflect a recommendation that you should buy the book at this source. It is up to you to select the site you find most comfortable in making your book choices & purchases. You can also find most books at Barnes and Noble, for example or at Abe Books and many other book search sources. The motivation for providing the Amazon listing is simply to provide a commonly known convenient place to order book titles. Buy or acquire the books wherever you feel most comfortable in doing so!

 Amazon Description of the book:

The ups and downs of being in and out of the limelight. Showbiz from the wings. Dancing with Sinatra, singing with Robert Mitchum, chatting with the Beatles, dining with Buzz Aldrin, making cake for David Bowie, taking the Duchess of Gloucester shopping, and having strange meetings with Anthony Hopkins have added to a life well-lived, rich with good friends, family, and memories.
As the author graduates from Art School her career path is waylaid by her sister’s sudden rise to world fame, and the two girls are whisked from recordings at Apple Records and Abbey Road to first class travel several times around the world. Through this the author manages to sustain her writing and painting, adding singing, dancing and acting to her C.V. along the way. She stars in The Mousetrap, and Dr. Who, chats to Richard Burton in New York, and Maxime de la Falaise as she makes Andy Warhol’s birthday cake. She’s on board H.M.S. Hermes, entertaining the troops after the Falklands war and gets to paint in George Harrison’s garden when she lives in Henley. In Monte Carlo she meets Anthony Burgess and Rex Harrison and parties away with the best of them.
The book sums up the best and the worst of being in and out of the limelight!

What a life Carole M. Hopkin has led…

A SAMPLING OF SOME OF THE PAGES FROM THE BOOK:

Carole’s drawings of many of the buildings she has visited in her travels are superb:

It seems that George was Carole’s favorite Beatle!

The two sisters in Japan:

Without a doubt, the real odd couple, Mal Evans and Allen Klein:

Another exquisite building painting from Carole:

Another beautiful Carole M. Hopkin drawing:

The multi-faceted talents of Carole M. Hopkin:

A Hopkin musical conclusion to this post from Carole’s sister: A wistful bit of nostalgia followed by a song of missing a loved one:

1968 HITS ARCHIVE: Those Were The Days – Mary Hopkin (a #1 record–mono 45)

Mary Hopkin – Goodbye (1969) (Stereo / Lyrics)

Something Stupid sung in Welsh by Mary Hopkin:

Mary Hopkin – Rhywbeth Syml [Something Stupid, sung in Welsh]

AND THE MULTI-TALENTED CAROLE M. HOPKIN ALSO HAS A BRAND NEW BOOK: BLITZING THE GLITZ

BLITZING THE GLITZ
by CAROLE MORGAN HOPKIN (Author) Format: Paperback

AMAZON US:

BLITZING THE GLITZ: HOPKIN, CAROLE MORGAN: 9798248670239: Amazon.com: Books

AMAZON UK:

BLITZING THE GLITZ: Amazon.co.uk: HOPKIN, CAROLE MORGAN: 9798248670239: Books

AMAZON US KINDLE:

BLITZING THE GLITZ – Kindle edition by HOPKIN, C. M. . Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

AMAZON UK KINDLE:

BLITZING THE GLITZ eBook : HOPKIN, C. M. : Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

Book Description:
Mercedes Lloyd Jones, to be known as Sadie, is intent on achieving the American Dream by leaving home in Wales and travelling to Palm Beach. Here, instead of meeting the man who will make her dreams come true, she meets an odd and, at odds, bunch of individuals who try to persuade her not to take the job of general factotum to one of the wealthiest women in the States – the Glitz. If Sadie had known what she was in for she’d have run out of town. Fred, a W.A.S.P, and Flo, the Happy Hooker from Hibiscus Row have huge grievances against the Glitz and now that they have Sadie on the inside, as it were, they plan, with the aid of Flo’s gang of underworld ‘hoods’, though genuinely ‘nice’ guys, to Blitz the Glitz. But she’s been around the block a few times so the three tries go disastrously wrong!
A comic, heist, romance, at the heart of which lies Sadie’s dream of acquiring wealth and love in one rosy package

Hope you enjoyed this post about Carole M. Hopkin -the artist, the illustrator, the teacher, the lecturer, the novelist and the writer!!!

Be healthy and be happy, folks!

Buzz

Announcing… a new kind of book about music

TOUCHSONGS:

When Music Holds The Moment

by

ANGELA BALLARD-KENNETH CAMPBELL-MELISSA DAVIS

Biographies of songs that shaped their times and continue to hold their meaning today…

California Dreamin’ (1966) The Mamas & The Papas

For What It’s Worth (1967) Buffalo Springfield

All You Need Is Love (1967) The Beatles

Suite: Judy Blue Eyes (1969) Crosby Stills & Nash

The who, what, when, where, why and how behind the music, the lyrics, the songwriters, the artists and the meanings…

More than origin stories, Touchsongs explores how the songs came to be so completely associated with their moment that they are used as shorthand to summon up the past and what it means to the present.

Whether beckoning to the warm bliss of post-surf/pre-Manson California or sounding the clarion call to “STOP! And look around…”

… from offering LOVE as a mantra for the world to professing love and admiration for a woman following her need for independence… these were the songs of their times.

A touchsong is not necessarily a band’s ‘best’ song.

It may not have reached #1.

It may not be everyone’s ‘Desert Island Disc’.

But there is something undeniable in each song that communicates beyond its time and speaks across the decades to the present.

They have been used in film, television, documentaries, samples, YouTube videos, reels, even commercials, becoming part of the lexicon to conjure up a moment in time and place.

Three authors – each expert in their area of popular music – look at how the songwriters expressed something timeless in those combinations of sound and lyric… and how the artists captured them in a way that is still conveyed in only a few notes and words.

Meticulous research, contextual as well as musical and lyrical analysis, and quotations from the creators, including sound engineers and producers.

Listener and Viewer Guides let the reader hear the songs again – or possibly for the first time – as they evolved from demos and outtakes to the finished product ready for release and in notable covers, as well as memorable performances.

To learn more and to reserve a signed and numbered copy of …

TOUCHSONGS:

When Music Holds The Moment

Prepublication orders available at $20 ($25 after publication)

VISIT: www.thebeatleworksltd.com

There are more touchsongs that deserve their own biographies –

Light My Fire ~ Somebody To Love/White Rabbit

Foxy Lady/Purple Haze ~ Turn! Turn! Turn!/Mr. Tambourine Man

The British Invasion

Many by The Beach Boys, Bob Dylan and The Beatles

And as demonstrated at the World Cup matches throughout

North America this summer – Take Me Home, Country Roads

If the readers like, another edition of TOUCHSONGS would be a labor of love for us at The Beatle Works Ltd.

www.thebeatleworksltd.com

Can’t wait to read my copy of Touchsongs-When Music Holds The Moment! I have so much faith in the writing talents of all of the authors. This is the type of book that I truly enjoy and treasure and I am sure that you will too! Be healthy and be happy! Buzz

Inside No 3, the book that really starts to open up the doors to Apple Records, makes it’s first appearance at International Beatles Week in Liverpool this Bank Holiday Weekend. It is also his debut at this fantastic world – renowned Beatles festival.

Nigel Pearce, who has painstakingly worked to bring this publication to life, is making his first appearance at International BeatleWeek this year, and it promises to be a very special occasion to match!!

Nigel has put together an alternative and fresh angle to the operations of Apple Records – that no other has done. It is not a tell-all book, nor is it just a diary with facts and figures and a tale of events. It gets to where it really matters, the released output from No 3 Savile Row, London W.1 .

Nigel has within his personal archives every record issued from Savile Row, plus many demo recordings, test pressings along with many other artefacts that were used for Marketing, Advertising and Promotional purposes.

Having this material is one thing, but first of all putting around 10% of the total into the first book was no mean feat, but then to bring this material to life by hosting a completely musical, visual and live presentation is one that is really beyond many fans wildest dreams.

The Presentation

Each full interactive presentation takes around 2 and a half hours without any questions, and understanding the restrictions of time at The Adelphi Hotel, he has been able to concentrate on just one part of Apple.

He will be talking about the start of Apple from concept in 1966 to early 1969. All of this is accompanied by music and visual footage, which again will accompany his presentation. This means that his hour slot will be crammed to the full!!

David Bedford, who has seen most of the material, was staggered by what is within the full presentation, and knowing Nigel like I do he explains, “What he will bring to the festival will surprise many fans. The content is unique, enthralling, and of a very high level”.

Nigel’s Presentation will be given on Sunday 30th August at the Beatles convention at the Adelphi Hotel. Drop by and say hello, and then don’t miss the presentation.

Get your copy of Inside Number Three

THE STORY OF THE QUARRYMEN’S PIANIST JOHN DUFF LOWE. NEW BOOK AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER TODAY.

BY JOHN DUFF LOWE AND MICHAEL X SAVVAS

The portrait on the front was done by Helen Anderson, John Lennon’s art college friend, and the cover design was done by Jann Haworth (co-designer of the Sgt. Pepper album cover) and production designer Paul Blandford.

THE NEW BOOK IS AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER TODAY – WILL BE DELIVERED IN 4 TO 5 WEEKS!

The book features a foreword by the Shadows lead guitarist, Hank Marvin!

Published in 2026 by Flying Lion Publications

PREORDER LINK:

YOU CAN PREORDER THE BOOK HERE:

Notes about the Contributors:

A few FUN FACTS and excerpts from the book:

Without a doubt, this will be a book that I certainly will be adding to my Beatles book collection!!!

PREORDER LINK:

YOU CAN PREORDER THE BOOK HERE:

Find out more about The Quarrymen at their official website

Be healthy and be happy!

Buzz

CHECK OUT MICHAEL’S OTHER BEATLES BOOK – ONE DREAM AGO

BEATLEBILIA THE ULTIMATE BEATLES MEMORABILIA REFERENCE GUIDE BY PAT GRAHAM AND PHIL HARBOUR

Just received my copy of this wonderful new book about Beatles memorabilia from two UK authors named Pat Graham and Phil Harbour. It is amazing that the same feeling that I got in my teenage years from purchasing a new Beatles record, I also have the same feeling when the postal person delivers a new Beatles book. This 359-page book is a pure delight and a welcome addition to my Beatles book collection! Enjoy today’s post about the book…

Paperback

https://yorkbookshop.com/crafts-and-hobbies/748-beatlebilia-the-ultimate-beatles-memorabilia-reference-guide-paperback.html

Hardback

https://yorkbookshop.com/crafts-and-hobbies/749-beatlebilia-the-ultimate-beatles-memorabilia-reference-guide-hardback.html

Back cover of the book:

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Beatlebilia: The Ultimate Beatles Memorabilia Reference Guide is a comprehensive guide to all the original 1960s memorabilia that was manufactured and sold to fans of The Beatles during that era and still widely sought after today.

We have trawled our archives, as well as those from our fellow collectors and the wonderful authors before us, to bring you a complete (or as close to as possible) memorabilia guide to all the original, 1960s Beatles memorabilia items from around the world!

The items are loosely categorised into themes and we hope, bring to life the breathtakingly vast array of merchandise that was created to celebrate, promote and of course, ‘cash in’ on that little boy band from Liverpool.

The book presents over 3000 colour images, detailing more than 1000 individual items, including:

• Toys & Games
• Toy Instruments
• Bags, Cases & Carriers
• Purses & Wallets
• Clothing & Accessories
• Stationery
• Calendars, Clocks & Watches
• Glass & Ceramics
• Homeware

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

PAT GRAHAM, LEEDS (UK)

My interest in all things ‘BEATLE’ started when I was just six years old, in 1964; my sister, who was thirteen at the time, had pestered my mother for us to all go and see The Beatles live in Scarborough, a seaside town in the UK, whilst we were on holiday there in August of that year. Unfortunately, my mother was unable to get tickets for us to see them live, but instead bought us all tickets to see their film, ‘A Hard Days Night’, newly released at the cinema. So, on Sunday the 9th August 1964, whilst the Beatles were performing in the Futurist Theatre on Scarborough seafront, we all went to see the film at the Odeon Cinema; it was the closest I ever got to seeing the Beatles ‘live’. After this first taste of The Beatles, I was hooked! My sister, Trish, was a member of the Official Beatles Fan Club and when she left home in 1969, she gave me a few bits of Beatle memorabilia… and so began my hobby/passion/obsession of collecting Beatles memorabilia. My very first ‘piece’ was this Fan Club cloth patch which I am proudly wearing at six years old after my return from holiday in Scarborough… I still have it to this day!


PHIL HARBOUR, LEICESTER (UK)

My father (Harold Harbour) was and still is a huge Beatles fan and passionate about their music, so I guess it has always been a part of my life, possibly even before I was born! I remember singing along to the music as a child with my sister from as young as six years old but as I became a teenager, I started to understand and appreciate just how important the band were, not only musically, but just how groundbreaking they were in so many other ways. And this fascinated me. But it was when the Anthology TV series was released in late 1995 that I became hooked, as it helped to really bring to life just how amazing and pivotal the band were and what an impact they had during that brief eight year window. This is when my collecting passion began and I quickly became desperate to own and collect anything Beatle related. Most of my early collecting consisted of small, affordable, modern pieces but I always aspired to own ‘the good stuff’… the items that were actually ‘there’ at the time; owned and loved by those fans who went before me and formed the backdrop to Beatlemania. In the early 2000s, I was able to start adding some original items to my collection but it wasn’t until I found the Beatlebilia website and then met the founder Pat Graham in 2019, that my passion and collecting of 1960s memorabilia really kicked in. Today, in 2026, I am privileged to be part of the Beatlebilia organisation and more importantly, have a true friend and mentor in Pat.

A FEW REVIEWS:

Review

“A stunning collection of the world’s nod to the Fab Four! This book is a top-tier effort and a must have for music enthusiasts and nostalgia fans who want to deepen their appreciation of the band’s history. It’s an essential addition to any Beatles or music fan’s shelf!” Terry Crain

“Whether you are a collector of Beatles memorabilia, or if you are simply a fan of “All Things Beatles”, then this book is a must have! “Bravo” to the authors for providing Beatles fans around the world with a much-needed product! It’s absolutely “Beatle-ful”! Dennis D. Dailey

“I really love this book and highly recommend it for all fans and collectors, no matter how many other books on the subject you may have! It’s more than a good technical reference for the items it represents, it’s also just plain fun and exciting to read”. Perry Cox

“As a long-time collector and co-author of similar books in the 1990s, I am very impressed by the number of Beatle artifacts from around the world that I have never seen before. I’m confident that you will enjoy the book as much as I do”! Jeff Augsburger

A FEW SAMPLE PAGES:

The authors have kindly granted me the permission to show you a few sample pages from this wonderful book. I will use my copy of the book as the source:

A kind personal message from the authors:

Background about the authors:

Beatlebilia History:

The Table of Contents:

Beatles Toy Instruments: A drum set and Beat Bongos:

A set of 4 Beatles jigsaw puzzles, The Beatles Magic Card Trick, a prototype BINGO game and a Dutch Beatles Joker card:

Pin-up guitar brooch and hummers:

Hardback

https://yorkbookshop.com/crafts-and-hobbies/749-beatlebilia-the-ultimate-beatles-memorabilia-reference-guide-hardback.html

Paperback

https://yorkbookshop.com/crafts-and-hobbies/748-beatlebilia-the-ultimate-beatles-memorabilia-reference-guide-paperback.html

I am truly very happy and enthused about having this new book in my Beatles book collection!

Be healthy and be happy!

Best wishes Always!

Buzz

ALSO NOTE OUR FEATURED BOOK ABOUT BEATLES NOVELTY RECORDS BY TERRY CRAIN

ONE OF THE PRIME INGREDIENTS IN THE SUCCESS OF THE BEATLES-THE LOVE AND THE LOYALTY OF THE FANS

Independently Published-July 2026 release– 2nd edition of the title which was originally published in 2004

Kristi Siegel has issued a new edition of her book about Beatles fans. I recently received my copy in the mail, and I was delighted with the contents. I love the independent Beatles books as they always seem to include stories that we may never have heard before. A true Beatles fan seems to have a compulsion to learn new details about the band that continues to stimulate our imaginations after all of these years!

Now, we have the opportunity to once again take that journey Across Their Universe with Kristi Siegel’s collection of Beatles fan’s stories…

FOREWORD WRITTEN BY RUTH McCARTNEY

Ruth McCartney has written the wonderful & heartwarming emotional Foreword to the book and here are a few links to Ruth’s website so that you can peruse her many wonderful offerings and products.

McCartney Multimedia Digital Branding AgencyMcCartney Multimedia, Inc.

McCartney Studios

Ruth McCartney

Don’t forget to visit the Book Shoppe at Mrs. McCartney’s Teas.

Mrs. McCartney’s Organic Teas – Mrs. McCartney’s Teas

Mrs. McCartney’s Books – Mrs. McCartney’s Teas

Ruth and her mom Angie make a superb team, and I enjoy their Teaflix programs on YouTube very much!

Ruth has been generous with her support to Beatles book authors over the years.

BOOK DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER:

Young and old and from all walks of life, millions of music lovers around the globe relate to the artistry of the Beatles. For more than 60 years since they earnestly appeared on the UK pop charts with ‘Love Me Do,’ the cultural impact of these four rather extraordinary young men from Liverpool has arguably never been stronger.

In a world of manufactured bands, and while many of their own contemporaries have fought longevity by playing the same songs 20, 30, or more years later, the work of the Fab Four is as relevant and fresh for today’s generation as it was when the term ‘Beatlemania’ was first coined.

Of course, no one knew then that ‘Beatlemania’ would still be thriving decades later.

In Across Their Universe: The Secret Lives Of Beatles Fans, author Kristi Siegel has compiled the personal stories of more than one hundred Beatles fans. Although separated by continents, language, and age, the common bond the contributors share is the deep influence of the Beatles, not only in their musical tastes but in their lives as well.

These fans’ words vividly portray the magnitude of the Beatles’ personal impact on their listeners: an enduring impact that no simple music-fad rock & roll band will ever eclipse.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Author Kristi saw that I run a section of a Beatles print blog and she informed me that she was soon to publish the 2nd edition of her book that dealt specifically with stories from Beatles fans. A little interesting aside to this is that the piece I submitted to her was originally accepted by former Paul McCartney spokesperson, Geoff Baker for a book he was writing about Beatles fans. Baker had informed me it was exactly the type of recollection he was seeking for a book he was planning. Unfortunately, I was later to find out a couple of years later that Baker had abandoned his book idea. When Kristi asked me if I had a submission for her 2nd edition, I sent her the following piece (with some modifications and updates) and she kindly has published it.

There is a wealth of stories included in the book from a lot of people who I am sure you will be familiar with and recognize!

My submission:

Page 2:

Back cover of the book:

Please note that while the Amazon links are provided here for the book as a convenience to you, the listing of Amazon does not reflect a recommendation that you should buy the book at this source. It is up to you to select the site you find most comfortable in making your book purchases. You can find most books at Barnes and Noble, Abe Books and many other sources. The motivation for providing the Amazon listing is simply to provide a commonly known convenient place to order book titles. Buy or acquire the books wherever you feel most comfortable in doing so!

Amazon US:

Across Their Universe: The Secret Lives of Beatles Fans: Siegel, Kristi: 9798188234737: Amazon.com: Books

Amazon UK

Across Their Universe: The Secret Lives of Beatles Fans: Amazon.co.uk: Siegel, Kristi: 9798188234737: Books

Concluding remarks about another fine book about Beatles fans:

People often relegate Beatles fans to being the lowest totem pole rung in the analysis of the Beatles success. Without the fans, the band would never have been as successful, whether you are using commercial standards or even artistic ones. Music critics often treat the fans of any popular musical entity as being purely incidental in the band’s development or when exploring the artist’s horizons. I often question how much an artist’s work is done not only to please themselves but to please their audience and the need for audience approval.

I often sneer at many music critics because inspiration for the venom spewed by a purely scathing critical review can often be traced to the critic being a frustrated artist in their own right. They may not be able to create themselves so the end result is to tear down others work which generates controversial copy which can translate into greater readership and sales for the medium in which the piece appears. Look how some of the New York Times and Rolling Stone critical reviews of the past have greatly impacted the sales figures of popular releases!

Fans in recent years have become the academic study of Beatles scholars attempting to discern the great obsession that Beatles fans continue to have for this band and why it continues to this very day!

On many occasions, both the Beatles themselves and the fans that follow them have the ultimate answer to that question…

“It was the Music.”

Nothing more needs to said!

Congratulations are extended to the author, Kristi Siegel in her attempt to demonstrate the difficult task of highlighting the important role & ingredient of the Beatles fan in determining their lasting impact on popular culture across the generational divide!

Be healthy and be happy!

Buzz