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JPGR HODGEPODGE #6 – MORE INGREDIENTS TO THE BEATLES-RELATED BOOK STEW

In keeping with the original premise and intention of the JPGR Hodgepodge posts, these posts present a random collection of Beatles-related print items that I have added to my collection over the years. Some are books that are entirely about the group. Others may only feature a story about one of them. Some may feature cover configurations that were changed or withdrawn but not before a few copies were purchased by early adopters such as yours truly.

These posts are not limited to just books. They may feature magazines or other print-related items as well.

These posts are generally lengthier than the regular Buzz’s Beatles Book/Print posts. They are designed to deal with a number of subjects in the hope that you find something that you may have not seen or been aware of before. Hope that you find something that sparks some interest and curiosity!

The first book deals with the drumming style and the vastly underrated contributions of Mr. Starkey to the Beatles. Though the focus of the book is primarily from a musician’s perspective, it contributes an excellent framework of Ringo’s unique drumming style and why his abilities were so crucial to the band’s success.

Ringo Starr and The Beatles Beat

Authored by Alex Cain and Terry McClusker-published in 2016 by Matador – this is the limited edition hardback.

Copies of the softcover are available at the Beatles Bookstore, on Amazon, Abe Books and Ebay and among many other book search services:

Ringo Starr and The Beatles Beat
Ringo Starr and The Beatles Beat

The back cover of the book;

Ringo Starr and The Beatles Beat
Ringo Starr and The Beatles Beat

Alex and Terry’s signature in my copy of the book:

Ringo Starr and The Beatles Beat
Ringo Starr and The Beatles Beat

Alex and Terry also combined their talents to write a book about Ringo’s contributions to the “White Album.” Remember- this was a time where Ringo felt disengaged from the band and left the group for a short while. For a short term, while Ringo was away, Paul did some of the drumming on a few White Album tracks. This book appeared in 2019 and was independently published by Luddypool Books:

Ringo's White Album
Ringo’s White Album

The back cover of the book:

Ringo's White Album
Ringo’s White Album

Alex and Terry also dealt with Ringo’s unique contributions to Abbey Road. You do not need to be either or a musician or a drummer to be able to enjoy both Alex and Terry’s insights and perspectives on Ringo’s unique contributions to the “sound” of the Beatles!

Ringo's Abbey Road
Ringo’s Abbey Road

Andy White

Since we are in a drumming frame of mind:

I have a particular fascination for this signed drumhead that I purchased on Ebay. Signed by the session musician, the late Andy White, who played on one of the released versions of the song “Love Me Do.” Also has the signature of the drummer who preceded Ringo Starr in the Beatles, Pete Best. I know it is highly unlikely but I would love to be able to get Ringo’s signature on this as an historical document!

LIPA

The following book is a special one for me. It demonstrates Paul McCartney’s willingness to give back something from the city that helped spawn his genius and talent. Life is a temporary thing but Paul has helped to ensure that talent development will continue to venture forth and flourish in the city by the Mersey!

LAVENHAM PRESS; First Edition (January 23, 2006) Authored and signed by Mark Featherstone-WittyPublished by Schools for Performing Arts (SPA) Press, 2006

Sir Mark Featherstone-Witty OBE (born 2 June 1946 in London is an educator and entrepreneur. He is the founding principal and chief executive of the Liverpool Institute for the Performing Arts (LIPA) which he founded along with Paul McCartney in the mid-1990s! This wonderful book is filled with photographs and stories behind the development of this great institution for the performing arts in Liverpool, England. One of our dear friends and author of the book “It’s All Too Much” which is also available at the Beatles Bookstore, David Stark, is a yearly presenter of a special award given at the LIPA graduation ceremonies!

The back cover of my copy of the book:

Mark’s signature in the book:

Rolling Stone

For many Beatles fans, this gentleman is controversial as they claim he was extremely biased with a focus on John Lennon in the pages of Rolling Stone magazine rather than his counterpart Mr. McCartney. Paul himself has expressed those sentiments in a few interviews. Some have also accused Wenner of delaying Paul’s solo entrance into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. I don’t know how many or if any of those accusations are true, but one thing I am sure of is that Mr. Wenner made a great journalistic contribution, especially in the early years of his magazine, which held a tight grip on the imagination of the youth culture that was coming of age in the sixties. It is sad to see in this digital age in which we live that magazines importance in shifting cultural opinions now lies in the realm of social media. Here is Jann Wenner’s memoir: Published in 2022 by Little Brown and Company part of The Hachette Book Group.

Back cover of the book:

I bought a signed copy on Ebay!

A coming-of-age Beatles novel by journalist Barbara Guardino: Published by Wordclay with a publication date of January 1, 2011

This coming-of-age novel set in the 60s deals with the issue of idol worship in the entertainment industry and how the reality of that situation can often lead to disappointment and disenchantment when coming face to face with one’s perceived idols. I enjoyed reading this unique fictional approach to dealing with hero worship in general. Good job, Barbara!

The back cover of the book:

Barbara’s signature in my copy of the book:

George Harrison Fan Club

Two special books in my collection written by Pat Kinzer Mancuso who was the founder of the only independent Fan Club that was sanctioned by a member of the Beatles. The stories that Pat has to tell in her two books are special and are unique to an individual who has run a Fan Club. Pat’s devotion to George Harrison is a wonderful story that also has some heartache and great disappointments associated with it. I don’t want to spoil it for you but I strongly suggest you seek out these two special books and add them to your Beatles library. Both of the titles can be found on Amazon at eBay and on special book search services like Abe Books!

Published in 2005 by Infinity Publishing

Back Cover of the book:

Published in 2021-Cover design by Pat Mancuso and Andrew Croft Publisher tredition Hamburg, Germany

Another wonderful book that gives the details to the end of Pat’s wonderful George Harrison Fan Club:

The back cover of Pat’s book:

The Beatles How Long Will They Last?

My copy of the Parade supplement to our old daily newspaper, The Hartford Courant from August 2, 1964. I was startled when I looked at this issue to see the mention of Marina Oswald, the former wife of Lee Harvey Oswald. It brought back so many memories of those years!

I have an extensive collection of the tribute issues of John that were printed following his murder. They are too difficult to look at anymore and I am on the verge of getting rid of all of them. They simply hurt too much to open and read! This is the UK magazine New Musical Express with their Dec 13th, 1980 issue:

A couple of fascinating books from noted photographer Ian Wright. Even though the primary focus of these books is not on the Beatles specifically, they do reveal photos and stories that are not too commonplace in Beatles lore. Written by Ian and Lauren Wright these two books provided an excellent backdrop to the photographer’s experience of amassing so many wonderful and professional photographs of artists in the 60’s. You will enjoy this book throroughly. Published in 2021 by Ian and Lauren Wright. I purchased the two following books on Amazon and eBay. I have also seen them advertised on Abe Books.

Back cover of the book note the praise from Denny Laine:

A book about the Globe Venue in the UK

Amazon’s description of this title by Ian and Lauren Wright:

A illustrated history of the Globe Theater at Stockton on Tees, England from its beginning in 1935 as a grand art deco theater showcasing performers like opera stars including Beniamo Gigli through the 1950s with the emergence of rock and roll performers like Cliff Richard and into the 1960s revolution and the Beatles

Paperback-Published August 22, 2021

Back Cover of the book:

A book by an enginner that has worked with Paul McCartney among may other musical greats. There are many interesting stories are to be found in this entertaining paperback. Richard Digby is a great bloke in my book. Check this one out at Amazon if you get the opportunity: Published in the UK in 2020 by The Book Guild!

The back cover of the Digby book:

Mr. Digby’s signature in my copy of the book:

To Know John Lennon

Published in 2020 by Political Animal Press and written by author Aidan Prewett, this is one of my favorite explorations of people that knew John Lennon and what they had to say about him based on their individual perceptions. I highly recommend this volume to any Beatles/John Lennon fan and/or collector. Both informative and revealing. Put together by conducting exhausting interviews with about 20 people that knew John fairly well, it provides many pieces to the jigsaw puzzle of what people that dealt with John thought of him and his complicated personality! Have seen the book advertised on Amazon, Ebay and Abe Books!

Back cover of the Prewett book:

Aidan’s signature on my copy of the book:

Having Read The Book

Author Greg Sterlace has written a couple of books that have places secured on my bookshelves:

This is a first edition from 2016 published by Adequate Life Publishing

This is a book that has alternate covers. I was able to acquire copies of both of the covers to this title by Greg which was his brave attempt at writing a bibliography which fortunately or unfortunately for bibliography compilers continues to grow at a rate of between 50-100 new Beatles book titles per year. Acting quickly when purchasing new Beatles books has always seemed to work in my favor because if the book is withdrawn or they decide to change the cover for whatever reason, I have the advantage of having acquired both covers! Acting quickly and keeping that in mind would have allowed many people to have acquired the Butcher Cover in the mid-sixties!

This is the back cover of the book:

This is the alternate cover of the title and is more prevalent than the other cover so I can only assume that this is the officially sanctioned cover: Published by Lulu-Independent Publisher in 2016. This is the 2nd edition!

This is another Beatles volume by Greg Sterlace also published by Independent book publisher Lulu in July of 2016

The problem evident in writing both bibliographies and discographies is that they become dated as new releases continue to infiltrate the marketplace. However, that critique did not stop me from purchasing Greg’s books for my collection and i am happy that I did.

Paul McCartney

Not the most well-known McCartney biography but I did enjoy it. This one is by author Peter Ames. Published by Touchstone Publishers in 2009. For someone who remains so active in continuing to record, Paul’s workaholic habits prevent the full comprehensive biography that he merits to be written. Perhaps Allan Kozinn and Adrian Sinclair will be able to accomplish that in their fantastic McCartney Legacy series…

Back Cover of the book:

Peter Ames signed this copy:

As stated so many times before on this blog, I am also interested in books that may even have a peripheral interest in the subject matter of a Beatle or a solo member. They produced this wonderful book about the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus which encourages kids to pursue both musical and video projects as a form of self expression. When musical education often lacks funding in the public school arena, this is a worthwhile contribution to the arts. This book was published with the authorization of Yoko Ono in 2007 by Thompson Course Technology Publishing. I found my copy to purchase on Ebay.

The back cover of the book:

Yoko Ono

Published in 2022 by Sutherland House and authored by Donald Brackett, this book represents yet another reassessment of the artistic contributions she has made to the culture and/or the art world. I enjoy and continue to collect the Yoko biographies and I am looking forward to the next one to appear in April of 2025 authored by David Sheff.

Back Cover of the Brackett title:

The signature of Mr. Brackett in the book:

The upcoming David Sheff Yoko bio scheduled for April of 2025:

A fantastic book issued in Japan-written in both Japanese and English and published in 2020. Authorized by Yoko Ono. I purchased my copy, the one you see here from Ebay. It contains many wonderful rare and obscure pictures. A truly wonderful addition to anyone’s John/Yoko library!

Back Cover of the book:

In my personal opinion, this is the best Yoko Ono biography in the marketplace. Author Madeline Bocaro has received endorsements from Sean Lennon, Lennon close friend, Elliot Mintz, Olivia Harrison, and Lennon associate, Dan Richter, for her book of nearly 600 pages! Books can be ordered at her website and at the Beatles Bookstore:

In Your Mind – The Infinite Universe of Yoko Ono -Madeline Bocaro

Fifty Fabulous Years

In closing this post would like to present this hardback book written by author Robert Rodriguez and the dvd documentary contained within is by Les Krantz. The book was published in 2010 by Wildwood Books a division of Facts That Matter, Inc. The book presents a beautiful compilation of fifty years worth of fascinating Beatles history featuring many excellent photos to highlight those events. The DVD hosted by Les Krantz is equally as engaging in helping to chronicle those 50 golden years. The book is available in multiple outlets including Amazon, eBay, and Abe Books.

The dvd to accompany the book:

Closing question:

Any suggestions of a particular item or items or Beatles-related subject matter that you would like to see more of, on the blog – please let us know your suggestions! Thanks…

Be healthy and be happy!

BUZZ

CHECK OUT MORE GREAT BOOKS AT THE BEATLES BOOKSTORE

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THE SPECTRE (PHIL SPECTOR OF MADNESS)

We all know the sordid history of the late “Wall of Sound” producer, Phil Spector, who was convicted of murder later in his life and passed away in prison. Despite the controversial private life he led, he did leave a considerable musical legacy with his layered production style which some critics have claimed was often guilty of overproduction. Both John Lennon and George Harrison chose to use him as a producer for several of their early solo works.

Bought this rare hardcover edition of this book, which has a chapter that specifically deals with the creation and production of John Lennon’s and Yoko Ono’s Christmas classic “Happy Xmas (War is Over).” That was the purpose of purchasing the book as I wanted to learn more information about the Happy Xmas recording sessions. I had the softcover but only recently did I acquire the hardcover. As a collector, I always prefer hardcover editions of any book I purchase. In any analysis of Phil Spector it seems like a natural endeavor to separate his often catastrophic and repulsive personal life to his significant contributions to popular music. It is obvious he had some severe mental health issues. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this Richard Williams-authored book:

The front cover of the more obscure hardcover version of the book:

The Sound of Phil Spector
The Sound of Phil Spector

The back cover of the more obscure hardcover book:

The Sound of Phil Spector
The Sound of Phil Spector

A brief excerpt of the book:

The picture that became the picture sleeve accompanying the Apple release in the US!

Here is one of the Spector productions of a solo Beatles release as he produced the legendary Imagine LP. I had bought this item because the eBay ad advertised the inscription as being “To John” which I felt to be ironic and somewhat morbid since it was a John Lennon album and it was signed after John had been murdered and before the infamous Spector shooting that put him in jail.

In summary, Phil Spector had a legendary musical career, yet he also seemed to have some severe psychological problems as is evidenced by much of the strange behavior he exhibited over the years that is documented in several books.

QUESTION:

Question for the blog post? In a possible deluxe John Lennon box set of the Rock ‘n’ Roll LP, would you like to see a bonus disk of isolated tracks using MAL technology of Peter Jackson to some of the Spector session tapes?

BUZZ

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ROY CICALA & JOHN LENNON – ENGINEERING POP MUSICAL HISTORY

Roy Cicala was the engineer that John Lennon predominantly worked with when he came to NY permanently from the UK in the early 1970’s. Cicala was involved in engineering Walls and Bridges, the Rock ‘n’ Roll LP, Mind Games, Sometime in NYC, and some of the tracks on Menlove Ave. It was pointed out by the excellent author Kris Englehardt in one of his Beatles Undercover books that John Lennon actually co-wrote some of the lyrics to a Roy Cicala song entitled “Incantation” which was recorded by a group called Dog Soldier and sung by Patrick Jude.  

Someone has posted that number on YouTube. The only official release of the number was on a bonus cd put together for one of Kris Englehardt’s fantastic books, the first one of his Beatles Undercover trilogy.

Dog Soldier – Incantation – YouTube

Roy Cicala’s former wife, the late Lori Burton, who sang backing vocals on John Lennon’s “Walls and Bridges” album also recorded a version of “Incantation” that remains unreleased! 

The lyrics were inspired from a Native American that John Lennon had supposedly met.

The only other John Lennon co-written song that I am aware of by a member of his production engineering coterie or staff was Phil Spector who was given a co-writing credit for the song “Here We Go Again.”

A signed photo of the late Roy Cicala which I acquired in the last couple of years, along with the signature of engineer, John Hanti who has a wonderful book scheduled for release in the future written with Steve Acker!

Roy Cicala & John Hanti
Roy Cicala & John Hanti

John Hanti

Engineer John Hanti had much interaction with engineer Roy Cicala but he was never directly involved with recording John Lennon or having personal interactions with him.


In what will surely be a fascinating forthcoming book, John Hanti has many exciting stories to tell about his involvement in storing some Lennon tapes for Roy Cicala and unfortunately, what happened to some of them. He also has many tales about such Beatles associates as Nat Weiss! He also has a story to relay about the attempted bootlegging of the Beatles Christmas LP. Though not a Beatles book per se’, there are many intriguing musical stories about other giants of the business and music industry and the rigors of being a good engineer. The book has been delayed because of an unexpected illness but I eagerly anticipate what I am sure will be an information-laden and exciting book for all music fans. The promotion of the book will also possibly involve a detailed lecture series that is in the planning stages. The title of the book is tentatively slated to be “Escaping Gravity” by John Hanti with Steven Acker.

John Hanti’s website where his forthcoming book with Steven Acker is discussed

Backline Report | SST Studios and Rentals | United States (sstrentals.com)

DISCUSSION POINT

Today’s discussion question: I am always fascinated with books that have additional information about the Beatles or solo Beatles that come to light many years later from people who may have had a friendship or even a brief but notable interaction with one of the four of them. Their true personalities seem to emerge from books like that as the four are less guarded in many of those circumstances. Based on that description, what book or books that you may have come across that may not be very well known fits my description above the best? Any unusual stories that were revealed in those books that were not written about one of the four, but revealed something about one or all of them that you were not aware of? Thanks in advance for your input on these questions!

BUZZ

MORE GREAT BOOKS AT THE BEATLES BOOKSTORE

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THE BEATLES HODGEPODGE #5

Many Beatles collectors are aware of the work of Doug Sulpy who over the years with his magazine entitled The 910 (yes, a pun of the One after 909) has helped to do a wonderful job of attempting to catalog and criticize the tremendous amount of unreleased material by the Beatles. Doug has numerous book titles dealing with this subject and here are a few of them:

THE 910’S GUIDE TO THE BEATLES’ OUTTAKES: Doug Sulpy: Amazon.com: Books

Get Back: The Unauthorized Chronicle of the Beatles’ Let It Be Disaster: Sulpy, Doug, Schweighardt, Ray: 9780312155346: Amazon.com: Books

Drugs, Divorce and a Slipping Image: The Unauthorized Story of the Beatles’ “Get Back” Sessions: Sulpy, Doug, Schweighardt, Ray: 9780964386907: Amazon.com: Books

The Complete Beatles’ Audio Guide: Doug Sulpy: 9780964386976: Amazon.com: Books

This title below deals with the existing video of the Beatles from 1964. Doug issued this as a hardback in an edition of only 100 copies of which I purchased a copy. Doug’s 910 magazine is now sold digitally only, in pdf format. This transition to the digital format is primarily due to high printing costs. However, Doug does continue to print the occasional limited edition hardback volume like the one below which is always exhaustively researched and well-documented.

The Beatles 1964 Video Guide
The Beatles 1964 Video Guide

The back cover of the 100-copy hardback:

The Beatles 1964 Video Guide
The Beatles 1964 Video Guide

Doug’s “John Hancock” on this special hardcover title of only 100 copies:

The Beatles 1964 Video Guide
The Beatles 1964 Video Guide

Thomas The Tank

Ringo did a series of audio narrations of the Thomas the Tank children’s books. Expanding on his role as the conductor in the Thomas the Tank TV series, this is an example of one of the cassettes with book volumes based on the series. For collecting purposes I bought the complete Ringo cassette and CD collections of his storytelling ventures!

Thomas the Tank Engine
Thomas the Tank Engine

I love special releases like this that appeal to both children and adults. The book detailing the lyrics to Starr’s song appeals more to the children. The alternate version of Octopus’s Garden on the CD appeals to the Ringo music collector, primarily being adults.

Octopus's Garden
Octopus’s Garden

A picture of the cd contained within the book and a brief bio on the author and the illustrator:

Octopus's Garden
Octopus’s Garden

The back cover of my copy of the book which is available on Amazon:

Amazon.com: Octopus’s Garden: 9781481403627: Starr, Ringo, Cort, Ben: Books

Octopus's Garden
Octopus’s Garden

Flashback

Though this is a photography book containing other artists beside the Beatles, we can surmise why they were chosen for the cover. This wonderful photography book by noted photographer, John Rowland is signed by Mr. Rowland, and I acquired this signed copy from the book search service known as Abe Books.

The book was published in 2010 by Desert Springs Publishing. For further info contact: www.rockphotobook.com

The signature page of the Rowlands book:

The back cover of the book:

The Beatles Monopoly

Technically, this is not a Beatles print item, yet it does exhibit the overlap in collecting interests that I have for both Beatles print material and Beatles board games. Here is the special Yellow Submarine edition of Monopoly

The Beatles Yellow Submarine Monopoly
The Beatles Yellow Submarine Monopoly

The back cover of the Yellow Submarine edition:

The Beatles Yellow Submarine Monopoly
The Beatles Yellow Submarine Monopoly

An edition of the Monopoly board game that I bought that has the classic Abbey Road album cover:

The Beatles Monopoly
The Beatles Monopoly

The back cover of the edition shown above:

The Beatles Monopoly
The Beatles Monopoly

Another one of the world’s most popular board games and it is only fitting that there would also be a Beatles edition of SCRABBLE: I bought my copy either from eBay or The Fest for Beatles Fans:

The Beatles Scrabble
The Beatles Scrabble

The back cover of the Scrabble game:

The Beatles Scrabble
The Beatles Scrabble

Skywriting by Word of Mouth

A special limited edition of 500 copies only in a slipcase of John Lennon’s final self-penned book entitled “Skywriting By Word of Mouth.” Each copy was signed by Yoko Ono. Published by Harper & Row in 1986!

Skywriting by Word of Mouth
Skywriting by Word of Mouth

The cover of the book within the slipcase:

Skywriting by Word of Mouth
Skywriting by Word of Mouth

Yoko’s signature and the number of the edition:

Skywriting by Word of Mouth
Skywriting by Word of Mouth

In 2014 Tosh Berman, son of Wallace Berman, one of the individuals who appears on the cover of Sgt. Pepper, released this limited edition booklet of only 300 signed copies that details the story of his dad giving permission to Brian Epstein to use his photo on the cover of the LP and of Wallace Berman’s son’s interest in the Beatles. It is a small item of not many pages, but it is wonderful to read the special set of stories contained within!

Published in 2014 by the Synaesthesia Press!

Wallace Berman and Sgt. Pepper – The World of Tosh Berman

The image of Mr. Berman contained on the Sgt. Pepper cover and the one that is within my copy of the Tosh Berman book which I love as a special collectable: Copies can often be found on both Ebay and Abe books!

Tosh Berman’s signature in my copy of the limited edition book:

Wallace Berman’s brief bio on Wikipedia: Wallace Berman – Wikipedia

Found this book in a Fest for Beatles catalog! It is a 3-volume set that features a special part dedicated not only in about 108 photos of the Beatles rarely if ever seen before, but details of the Beatles interactions over the years with members of the Hare Krishna movement. Here is an introduction of the book “Chasing Rhinos With the Swami”:

My copy was purchased through the Fest For Beatles Fans. I have seen copies advertised additionally on Ebay and Abe Books. The first volume was published in 2016. Volume 3 came out in 2021. This was followed by the 3 volumes set encased in a slipcase which was also being offered at The Fest for Beatles Fans!

Chasing Rhinos With The Swami – Book

A fabulous hardback Ringo Starr discography by author, Andrew James. It is detailed and all encompassing and it is a wonderful pickup for Beatles collectors. However, discographies all suffer from the same built-in problem. Unless the recording artist has passed away, in most cases the discogrpahy will not be up-to-date or current because the minute the artist issues another recording the book becomes lacking of the new releases. The completeness of their recorded legacy depends upon constantly updated versions of the book. It is frustrating to those who want a sense of completeness in their collections. However, we of course would much prefer the artist to be active healthy and with us for the natural course of their lives and to keep recording additional memories for us to savor.

My comments above may seem somewhat silly but the intention and purpose of the comments was simply to highlight a problem inherent in writing any books about artists that continue to record and remain active until they are elderly! Everyone’s primary concern should naturally be the well-being of the artist in question!

The well-researched discography was released in 2023 and I purchased it Online on Amazon. The book was independently published:

DRUMMING IS HIS MADNESS: THE RINGO STARR DISCOGRAPHY: James, Andrew: 9798858263142: Amazon.com: Books

The Ringo Starr Discography
The Ringo Starr Discography

The back cover of the Andrew James book about Ringo’s recording career:

The Ringo Starr Discography
The Ringo Starr Discography

What do you think? What do Want to See?

In conclusion, is there a particular Beatles print/ related subject matter that you would like to see covered in greater detail on the blog? Please let us know what you would like to see more of, or less of, for that matter!

Thanks! Be healthy and be happy!

Buzz

Some great books about The Beatles at the Beatles Bookstore

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THE BEATLES’ LONDON – THE THREE MUSKETEERS

I do not know if others share this perception but it seems that this particular book that Mark Lewisohn was involved with is not as well known as his other work. Perhaps that is due to the subject matter of the Beatles’ geographic locations. There have been several titles that have attempted this subject matter over the years and I do not know their relative success in terms of sales. I enjoyed the book as I have most of Mark’s work and the several print contributions of Piet Schreuders as well.

This particular edition of the book holds my interest because multiple author signatures of 2 or more in this case are often incredibly difficult to locate or find.

This is my signed version from all three authors of this book- Piet Schreuders, Mark Lewisohn, and Adam Smith. Multiple author-signed books are difficult to acquire unless you have all the authors available at the same location at the same time, or if you are extremely patient and somehow are able to track the signatures down individually! Sometimes the publisher of a book makes arrangements with them to sign a limited amount of books that can be used in a marketing promotional campaign for the title!

For a book that I gave my initial perception of as not being as well known as other Mark Lewisohn-involved works, Derek Taylor does not hesitate in his lavish praise for the book on its cover. Recommend you check this one out if you do not have it in your collection! I hold a fascination for some of the Beatles books that were not as widespread in their circulation or distribution with fans!

The Beatles’ London

The Beatles London
The Beatles London

The signature page featuring all three of the author’s signatures:

The Beatles London
The Beatles London

Buzz

Another Great Book on The Beatles’ London

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16 in ’64: THE BEATLES AND THE ’60S

Fan Recollection books about The Beatles and the ’60s, a specific time frame or era, have a very specialized audience. Some people love this type of book for the memories it stirs up in their own lives. For me, they serve a deeper sociological purpose. They demonstrate the shared sense of community that a mass audience once had when the communication outlets were fewer and far between.

With the advent of the internet and social media and the information that often comes to us inaccurately because of so many different sources with their own agendas and without a proper context, it is becoming increasingly difficult to judge what the “truth is” anymore.

Nostalgia

That is why nostalgia is so appealing to many of us as we get older. We often have the tendency to downplay the bad times or memories that may be associated with our growing up and we believe very strongly in the notion of the “Good Old Days” as a result stressing what made us happy when we were younger.

I personally enjoy books like the following title from Marti Edwards and Joe Carroccio. It was an enjoyable tale of a young lady who at the tender age of 16 sought to meet The Beatles. It is nice to read a book that deals with the sense of community people who hold a common interest can exhibit rather than the era the world seems to be living in now!

These types of books usually do not make a big impact in the marketplace because of the specialized interest inherent in a recollection book, but to me, they serve as important time capsules like newspaper clippings to preserve the events of long ago, long after the main characters of the story are no longer here to share those memories with the current generation… Thank you Marti for sharing your memories with us!

The Beatles and the Baby Boomers

16 in '64 - The Beatles & The Baby Boomers
16 in ’64 – The Beatles & The Baby Boomers

Back Cover of the book:

16 in '64 - The Beatles & The Baby Boomers
16 in ’64 – The Beatles & The Baby Boomers

Marti Edward’s inscription in my copy of the book:

16 in '64 - The Beatles & The Baby Boomers
16 in ’64 – The Beatles & The Baby Boomers

Buzz