The blog is designed to feature old and new Beatles-related print material including books, magazines, posters & autographs of people that have a Beatles connection or association. The blog also features books from people that have worked with the solo members of the group after the breakup. Looking forward to seeing you as a subscribing member of the blog and I eagerly anticipate your participation and feedback on the blog!
John “Buzz” Bezzini has one of the world’s largest collections of Beatles books and Beatles-related print material and he will share his thoughts and opinions on some of the more obscure & rare and unusual Beatles titles in addition to the new and forthcoming titles as well!
John taught a course in 1984 called “The Beatles in Retrospect” marking the 20th anniversary of the Beatles’ arrival in America.
John also holds a Master’s Degree in Communication.
Enjoy Buzz’s Beatles Book Blog.
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Don’t forget that there are hundreds of Blog Posts here, so check them out on the Index at the bottom of the page!
I recently got my notice that the new Paul McCartney Wings book – an oral history – was being mailed to me. I ordered the American edition with the bright blue cover. I have been looking forward to this book for quite some time and I am really looking forward to the great collection of photos and band stories included in the book! The book arrived on November 3, 2025.
Paul is to be given a lot of credit and accolades for continuing his superb musical legacy and workaholic work habits after the dissolution of the Beatles, which was certainly a tough if not impossible act to follow. Yet, Paul persisted, and the 70s virtually belonged to him and his new band as a result!!!
Let me know what you think in the comments below.
The Fest For Beatles Fans website if you are interested in acquiring a copy of this 550 page book:
The front information dustjacket flap to the new book:
The back information dustjacket flap:
The Table of Contents:
The balance of the Table of Contents:
WHICH COVER DO YOU PREFER THE BLUE US COVER SHOWN ABOVE OR THE ALTERNATE UK COVER SHOWN BELOW???
You know how obsessive collectors can be well this is a direct specific example of that compulsion.
Even though I already bought the US edition of the book and I am quite pleased with it, I have to say that I prefer the cover of the UK edition primarily because the cover has a photograph of the band. So as to not be too fussy, I also bought a copy of the UK edition so I would not feel like I missing out on something. Being a retiree on a fixed-income I may later have regrets about that decision, but right now-I DO NOT!!!
Looking forward to your comments and reactions about this new book!
Be Healthy and Be Happy!
Buzz
OUR BOOK OF THE WEEK –
Songs We Were Singing
Take A “Magical Mystery Tour” through the Beatles’ Deep Tracks. The Beatles’ music has become so ingrained in our culture that their songs have become an integral part of our everyday lives. Who doesn’t know the words to “Hey Jude” or “Let It Be”? Who hasn’t been moved by the poetry of “Eleanor Rigby” or energized by that opening chord of “A Hard Day’s Night”?
Songs We Were Singing uncovers the buried treasures that deserve a second listen.
Here is the presentation of my Beatles scrapbook identified as being #8 in the sequence. Though they are numerically listed, these scrapbook presentations are not necessarily in chronological order. They are a collection of the newspaper clippings and articles that I saved in a scrapbook format prior to the internet. When the internet exploded, I stopped collecting articles for the scrapbook. I personally cut out most of the articles that you see presented in these books. Many articles were also sent to me by friends and relatives who knew of my intense interest in the Beatles.
I apologize as not all of the articles presented in these scrapbooks have the corresponding date of the newspaper or magazine of origin as a reference point. I do encourage if you are the author of an uncredited article and you wish me to acknowledge you as the author or source of the piece, please write to me and I will amend the post, please include the date and the source of the publication. Keep in mind I kept these articles with no intention of sharing them until several people that I know encouraged me to share them with other Beatles fans that would have an interest in seeing what I kept in my own personal memory log in those pre-internet days. Again I want to caution you, you may view an article or record review that you may vehemently disagree with for one reason or another. I collected as many viewpoints as I could with these articles, some are good and some I personally disagree with. I did not reject a negative review of a solo Beatles LP, for example. I included it to present a balanced viewpoint. In other words, don’t shoot the messenger or personalize the message as me being the source of the viewpoint being expressed. LOL!
Included the first mention of my Beatles course at a local community college:
Princess Daisy with Ringo:
An article about Ringo’s program based loosely on thePrince and the Pauper.
Af ew utens of interest to me including a brief article about the course I was to teach about the Beatles at Manchester Community College!
My brief course syllabus for the class I taught in 1984 at Manchester Community College. Teaching this course was a highlight of my life as I was able to teach my lifelong passion as a college course marking the 20th anniversary of the Beatles arrival in America.
Our good friend, Charles Rosenay ran one of his many Connecticut Beatle conventions and this article appeared in the New York Times back in 1983:
A letter sent to me by the Department of Justice when I requested John Lennon’s FBI files from the Federal Bureau of investigation. They did send me a voluminous set of paperwork, a lot of it was blacked out but the balance of the material was fascinating. They sent me my copy free of charge but because of the cost of copying the documents, subsequent requestors had to pay the cost per page to receive the files.
An ad for Pipes of Peace:
Hope you enjoyed your trip down memory lane. Sometimes a look at the past can also bring sorrow and pain.
Contemplate and think about it just for a while, as some of the memories will bring a big smile!!!
You can get your copy of Tim’s book here and also watch the interview below about his fascinating book too.
When We Find Ourselves in Times of Trouble: The Beatles: All Their Songs with Encouraging Words for Challenging Times Paperback
This book addresses all the songs of the Beatles, from their earliest demos to Abbey Road, in a conversational, accessible format. Special attention is devoted to the band’s creative process and its influence on and synergistic relationship with the culture at large. The book’s genesis was the author’s hope that a daily Beatles song could provide a brief respite from the significant stress and uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and beyond that, from the challenges of any personally difficult time – our times of trouble.
Mark Lewisohn always has special Beatles projects he loves to work on and then eventually share with the public. One such special project was issued back in 2016, nearly ten years ago. It was a special book dealing with the Beatles first film, A Hard Day’s Night. Having access to many rare items from the estate of the late producer of the film, Walter Shenson, Lewisohn produced this wonderful hardback book celebrating what is now considered as a film classic both in film and music circles.
I once met Walter Shenson at a Fest for Beatles Fans held in NJ and he signed a Fest program for me. He was a cordial and friendly man.
Though the book is expensive, it is a quality release as are all of Mark Lewisohn’s books and in my personal opinion, it is certainly worth the cost!
If it is in your budget, I recommend you seek this book out for your collections. There were a limited number of copies that were also bookplate signed by Mark Lewisohn as well. The signed copies can occasionally be found on Abe Books and on eBay!
Happy hunting for this wonderful and exciting book!!!
AMAZON US:
The Beatles A Hard Day’s Night: A Private Archive Hardcover – September 5, 2016 by Mark Lewisohn (Author)-Phaidon Press
Including never-before-seen photographs and ephemera, a behind-the-scenes look into The Beatles’ acclaimed first film
“In March of 1964, director Richard Lester began shooting A Hard Day’s Night, a feature film starring The Beatles. With fast, sharp humour and a brilliant soundtrack, the movie depicts the excitement and chaos of thirty-six hours in the life of the Fab Four, and stars John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, with Wilfrid Brambell portraying McCartney’s grandfather. This collection of photographs and unique ephemera captures the infectious energy and anarchic spirit of this groundbreaking film.”
A Hard Day’s Night
Back cover of the book:
A Hard Day’s Night
My copy featured a bookplate signature from the author Mark Lewisohn:
The front and back dustjacket flaps of the book:
Reading the reviews of the book on Amazon I would like to highlight one in particular written by someone named Stardazer. Wish I knew his real name as I would give him the proper acknowledgement that the review deserves. I loved the review because it helps to accurately capture the magical quality of the contents of the book! I was very impressed as he captured many shared feelings about the title:
This is one of my favorite reviews of this wonderful book-It is located in the Amazon review section at the book location
Scroll down below the Mark Lewisohn bio info and you will find it:
An excellentAmazon review by Stardazer of the book:
Amazon review by Stardazer of the book:
“If you love the film A Hard Day’s Night, this is THE Coffee table book for you!! Drawn from the purchased collection of producer Walter Shenson’s personal archives on AHDN, this is a feast for the eyes of the ardent Beatles fan. The greatest number of images are film stills, most with outstanding clarity–far clearer than the ones you’ve seen in the Di Franco book (1977). For instance, page 62 shows that maniacal scene on the train with John pleading with Pattie Boyd about escaping, feigning invisible faux handcuffs. That image is clear enough to resolve that the magazine cover Pattie was browsing actually boasted a pic of the Dave Clark Five! Moreover, on page 120, the semi-clothed waiter holds another issue of Fabulous magazine where the name “Dave Clark” can be read on its cover, above the large image of Elvis! What delicious irony embedded so suavely in this movie! Admittedly, after seeing AHDN maybe a hundred times over the decades, I had never noticed that when John pantomimes in falsetto the line, “My name’s Betty” that the name Betty was displayed on the mirror he was standing in front of (see page 188)! Or how about that pic of Paul apparently mocking and mirroring Richard Lester’s body language in an unused scene on page 26? The snapshot of the continuity director logging details on a very old and heavy mechanical typewriter on her lap while seated on the train speaks volumes (page 65).
The film stills are ordered in the approximate sequence where they occurred in the movie as you page thoughtfully through the book. These are interspersed with many alternate or between the takes scenes as well as interesting memorabilia and lyric sheets of most of the songs featured in the movie. Many pics are full page or nearly so and some are in color! Reproductions of certain documents or news articles show you line item totals for the production budget, newspaper articles, magazine covers that will rekindle memories, letters from fans and that William F Buckley Jr op-ed that concluded, “The Beatles are not merely awful…they are godawful…unbelievably horrible, so appallingly unmusical…” well you get the gist! On the other hand, a reproduction of the actual AP teletype advance review of AHDN dated on July 30, 1964 and written by Bob Thomas gushed, “The surprise is that it is good…It shows that the quartet may be with us a long time, not as freaks but as unqualified entertainers.”
284 large sized pages showcased on thick glossy stock with superb attention to detail, informative introductions and occasional captions supplied by renowned Beatles historian, Mark Lewisohn, with glorious imagery of the Fab Four in their madcap heyday all beg for coveted ownership and a great, memorable gift to surprise and delight the Beatles fan in your life.”
Hope you enjoyed the details of this special book by Mark Lewisohn!!!
Be Healthy and Be Happy!
Buzz
OUR BOOK OF THE WEEK – CUNARD YANKS BY JOHN WINTER
It is 1954. Steve and Dave are looking for adventure. Their hometown of Liverpool is scarred by war. New York is the future and it will soon be the richest city in the world. They need to see it and feel the excitement. They need to be there. They need to become Cunard Yanks.
WAR IS OVER! Hardcover – Picture Book, November 4, 2025 by Sean Ono Lennon (Author), Dave Mullins (Author), Brad Booker (Author), Max Narciso (Illustrator)
Publisher : Viking Books for Young Readers
The Academy Award winning video short of the animated War is Over film has now become a book due out the first week of November, 2025. The film was inspired by John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s early 70s anti-war peace message and song. The film was superb and all of the members of the creative team that put the film together are to be congratulated. A storybook based on the film has been created with several illustrations from the short telling the sad but beautiful and meaningful story.
My personal copy has been ordered. There are several links provided below for your convenience if you are also interested in this title…THE BOOK CAN BE ORDERED (IF YOU WANT IT) !!!
War Is Over!
STRAND BOOKS IS/ WAS OFFERING A SIGNED EDITION – I DO NOT KNOW HOW LONG THEIR OFFER WILL BE VALID! THIS NOTIFICATION WAS SENT TO ME BY A GOOD FRIEND-JEFF SMULYAN. PLEASE NOTE THAT ORDERING A SIGNED COPY CAN BE TRICKY. THERE IS A PLACE WHERE IT INDICATES SIGNED AND I CLICKED ON IT UNTIL IT INDICATED YES AND PRIOR TO PAYING I MADE SURE THAT IT INDICATED IT WOULD INDEED BE SIGNED BEFORE I COMPLETED THE TRANSACTION. AS STATED BEFORE I DO NOT KNOW HOW LONG THAT SIGNED COPIES ARE GOING TO BE OFFERED AT THE SITE!
One of the rarest literary items concerning the fabulous animated film of the Beatles entitled Yellow Submarine is the March 1968 issue of Yale University’s, Yale Literary Magazine!
Very difficult to find this issue, especially one in very good shape. I was able to find my copy many years ago on eBay at a very reasonable price. Over the years, the value of this particular issue has risen significantly. The late Erich Segal, who taught Classic Literature as a professor at Yale, was solicited by the late Al Brodax to be one of the screenwriters for this Beatles movie, Yellow Submarine. Very few people at the time, including the Beatles themselves, knew that this film would eventually be regarded as an animated film classic!
Some background information about the Yale Literary Magazine:
I would like also to share with you a few sample pages from my personal copy of the magazine which I treasure:
The back cover of the magazine:
The Table of Contents and a View about the inspiration of creating this issue of the magazine:
Credits and Contributors to this issue:
A few comments from Erich Segal:
One excerpt of many of the wonderful pictures in this issue:
A little background on the then 30-year-old Yale professor, Erich Segal:
My Erich Segal’s signature from my copy of his international hit and book, Love Story , which also became a worldwide film sensation:
The last word should of course belong to the Beatles who apparently gave a wave and a big thumbs-up to the long-term choice of the mascot of Yale being THE BULLDOG, on their Yellow Submarine soundtrack! Even if that was not the Beatles intention, it still helped to serve that function or purpose with Erich Segal’s involvement with the movie!
I always thought it was a big mistake not to issue Hey Bulldog as a single in the US and in the UK. Apple, did however show some good sense to release the song as a 45 in Italy.
Hey Bulldog
A plush toy of the Yale mascot called Handsome Dan:
The Bulldog
The original Handsome Dan, bought byYaletackle Andrew Graves in 1889
It is 1954. Steve and Dave are looking for adventure. Their hometown of Liverpool is scarred by war. New York is the future and it will soon be the richest city in the world. They need to see it and feel the excitement. They need to be there. They need to become Cunard Yanks.
