Recently received a notification from author Andrew Croft that his 3-book set “Collecting Beatles Sheet Music & Song Books” are now available for purchase individually. The books are available separately as three individual titles, the U.K. edition, the U.S. edition and the International edition.

I collect Beatles print material and I must admit that I have never participated before in collecting Beatles-related sheet music. After acquiring the U.S. Edition of Collecting Beatles Sheet Music & Song Books, I must admit I am tempted to have a change of heart as seeing so many rare titles that were issued being presented in these volumes is truly impressive. After having obtained the U.S. Edition, I am planning on acquiring the other two volumes in the near future to complete the set.

Before I share with you the information about the 3-book set and the individual books, sent to me by the author, I want to share with you some images from my copy of the U.S. Edition. You do not have to be a musician to cherish and enjoy many of the rarities presented in these books!

THE US EDITION:

BACK COVER OF THE U.S. EDITION:

A SAMPLING OF THE CONTENTS OF THE U.S. EDITION:

Author Andrew Croft has authorized me to present a few additional page samplings from the book which will indicate the type of information that you will be exposed to. Some of these titles I have never seen before:

Another fascination with this material is the numbers of more obscure solo type projects like Paul writing the theme song for the film, The Family Way!

I love reading information about Apple publishing artists like Grapefruit who Apple published many of their early compositions:

A few sheet music examples from Apple artists:

DETAILS:

Collecting Beatles Sheet Music & Song Books

By ANDREW CROFT

INDIVIDUAL BOOKS…
U.K. Edition  |  U.S. Edition  |  International Edition

NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE!

Updated from the 72-page book published in 2003, this is the only complete guide to collecting Beatles and related sheet music and song books from around the world, now expanded to over 500 pages across three books.

Includes over 3,000 illustrations of all known Beatles, Lennon-McCartney and Harrison By Other Artists, Solo Beatles, Apple Records Artists, Apple Publishing and Beatles Novelty Record sheet music and song books from the U.K., the U.S. and over a dozen other countries around the world.

Starting with the history of publishing Beatles music in the U.K. and the history of Charles Hansen Publishing in the U.S. followed by a chronological format of all known individual song sheets, arrangement sheet music, reissues and song books, each guide includes a detailed look at how the sheets were published. Details include the background on the various publishing companies, as well as those who covered The Beatles’ and solo Beatles catalogue of music.​

The U.K. and U.S. editions delve into the myriad of reissues throughout the Seventies and Eighties to reveal what was published, by whom and when. A number of different series of sheets have been assembled all together in these guides for the very first time. The U.K. guide also includes a section on George Martin sheet music which includes a number of titles unknown to collectors until now.

The International guide is vastly expanded from the original book published in 2003 – increasing from just 12 pages to over 120! This book has hundreds of illustrations of sheets and song books from countries around the world including: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Japan, Scandinavia, Spain and Turkey.​ including some of the rarest titles ever assembled in one compilation until now. LIMITED EDITION 3-BOOK SETS & INDIVIDUAL BOOKS NOW AVAILABLE! Books are available for purchase as a 3-volume set numbered to 100 and signed by the author or individually. ORDER YOURS TODAY! The link provided by Andrew Croft:

Collecting Beatles Sheet Music & Song Books Be healthy and be happy! Buzz

OUR BOOK OF THE WEEK

Our expert blogger and Beatles expert John Bezzini appeared on Jude Kessler’s YouTube Podcast “Tell Me Why”, and talked about his blog on The Beatles Bookstore, his collection, and shared some of those rare pieces during the interview.

MEET JOHN “BUZZ” BEZZINI

We’ve been enjoying the great blog that Buzz does for us on this website, but now you get to meet him! In a fascinating interview, Jude talks about his incredible blog, and they discuss the various pieces of memorabilia that John shares with her.

Make Sure You Watch this, it is pure gold!

Click on the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdUqKMOodgE&t=306s

A big thank you to Jude Kessler for doing this interview, and check out her great books and subscribe to her YouTube channel too!

David Bedford

MEET JUDE KESSLER

THE MAIN CHARACTERS – BRIAN EPSTEIN AND JOHN LENNON

John Lennon is portrayed by Jordan Barkley, Brian Epstein is portrayed by Joseph Winder, and the play is written by Alex King, (an award-winning writer and director of film and theatre)

THE SETTING

February 1964. The Beatles are on the cusp of changing the world. In a suite at New York’s Plaza Hotel, John Lennon and manager Brian Epstein find themselves alone for an evening that neither of them expects.

As conversation drifts between memory, ambition and identity, the boundaries between performance and reality begin to erode. John struggles to reconcile the man he is with the man the world demands he become, while Brian is forced to confront a lifetime spent hiding in plain sight. What begins as companionship gradually becomes a battle for understanding, exposing the fears, contradictions and vulnerabilities that lie beneath two carefully constructed lives.

Of All These Friends and Lovers is an intimate new two-hander that imagines a deeply human encounter between two men navigating fame, expectation and the search for authenticity, asking whether anyone can truly know themselves when the whole world believes it already does.

This is the world-premiere of the play!

The production runs at The Hope Street Theatre (a stone’s throw from LIPA) during International Beatle Week, 25th – 29th August, with times as follows:

25th – 7:30PM

26-28th – 1:00PM, 4:00PM, 7:30PM

29th – 11AM, 1:00PM, 4:00PM, 7:30PM.

Link: https://ticketquarter.co.uk/Online/article/tq-of-friends-and-lovers-2026

Please note that John Lennon’s college art school friend and classmate, Helen Anderson, has provided one of her famous caps that she designed for John for the play!

Actors Jordan Barkley (John Lennon) and Joseph Winder (Brian Epstein)

Link: https://ticketquarter.co.uk/Online/article/tq-of-friends-and-lovers-2026

My only regret is that I live in the US and I will miss seeing this play. However, anyone in the US that is scheduled to be at Beatle Week in August of 2026, this is the play for you to attend and see while you are in Liverpool!

We at the blog extend our best wishes to the writer and director, Alex King, and all of the cast members and production crew. We sincerely wish you the best for a great long run for which most certainly will be a fascinating play and character study!

Link: https://ticketquarter.co.uk/Online/article/tq-of-friends-and-lovers-2026

Be healthy and be happy!

Buzz

Discover More About John Lennon at The Beatles Bookstore

Make sure you check out all of these titles either written by Jim Berkenstadt or featuring contributions from him. I am currently reading the great new book by Jim Berkenstadt about Elvis Presley and Scotty Moore which is previewed near the bottom of the page! With all of these titles you will learn the many reasons he earned the moniker of being known as the Rock ‘n’ Roll Detective:

For an overall history of Jim Berkenstadt’s work, his website is: www.rockandrolldetective.com

Here are a few samples of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Detective’s work:

Black Market Beatles: The Story Behind Their Lost Recordings. By Jim Berkenstadt and Belmo OOP (used copies at Ebay, Amazon and Abe’s bookstore)

From the publisher-a book description:

From the publisher…

Black Market Beatles is a tantalizing peek into the incredible world of unreleased Beatles material stashed in the climate controlled vaults at EMI, and leaked to the underground, as well as unreleased recordings of TV, radio and live concert appearances spanning the group’s career. If Paul, George, Ringo and Yoko have trouble deciding what to release in the future, they could do worse than to flip through this book. It is a magical mystery tour of buried treasures.

Nevermind Nirvana by Jim Berkenstadt and Charles Cross Amazon Paperback & Kindle

Classic Rock Albums: Nirvana – Nevermind – Kindle edition by Cross, Charles R., Berkenstadt, Jim. Arts & Photography Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

Amazon Description:

Nevermind was the album that took Nirvana out of Seattle’s alternative rock scene and turned them into a worldwide mainstream sensation. This book documents the album by featuring interviews with the band members and producers and recontructs how the album was made.

The Beatle Who Vanished: 60th Beatles Anniversary Tour edition by Jim Berkenstadt. Paperback, Audible, Hardback, Kindle. www.thebeatlewhovanished.com

Amazon Description:

THE MYSTERY OF BEATLES’ DRUMMER JIMMIE NICOL WHO VANISHED, IS FINALLY SOLVED!

NEWLY DISCOVERED DETAILS ULTIMATELY ANSWER THE QUESTION:
WHAT HAPPENED TO JIMMIE NICOL?

• Is Jimmie Nicol Dead or Alive?
• What happened to the famous Gold Watch given to Nicol by The Beatles?
• Who is the clandestine “Josefina”?
• Learn how the Rock And Roll Detective®, Jim Berkenstadt, finally solved the mystery of Beatles drummer Jimmie Nicol

HOW IS IT POSSIBLE DRUMMER JIMMIE NICOL COULD SIMPLY VANISH AFTER PLAYING WITH THE BEATLES IN 1964?

The Beatle Who Vanished is the first historical account of Jimmie Nicol, an unknown drummer whose journey from humble beginnings to saving The Beatles first world tour was only one part of his legend. Though his 13 days of fame made headlines, the true mystery of Nicol’s story is riddled with blacklisting, betrayal, drugs, divorce, bankruptcy, and a search for validation as a musician, producer, arranger, teacher, and remodeler. However, his disappearance in 1965 led many to question whether he is dead or alive.

The Beatle Who Vanished: 60th Beatles Anniversary Tour Version: Berkenstadt, Jim, Schumacher, Gary, Newby, Chas: 9798990339002: Amazon.com: Books

Mysteries In The Music: Case Closed by Jim Berkenstadt. (This book contains two Beatles-related chapters and one Traveling Wilburys chapter). Paperback, Audible, Hardback, Kindle. www.musicmysterybook.com 

Amazon Description:

Mysteries in the Music: Case Closed examines the secrets, myths, legends, hoaxes, conspiracies, and the wildly inexplicable events that are such an intriguing part of rock and roll history. Jim Berkenstadt, aka The Rock And Roll Detective®, has spent decades researching the players behind these famous soundtracks and the mysteries hidden within the music itself.

Travel back to the 1950s to uncover “Who Really Discovered Elvis Presley?” Revisit a time in the 1960s when a famous folk troubadour tried to form a supergroup with members of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Learn the origin behind big name artists using pseudonyms to mask their true identities. Go behind the scenes of CIA intrigue in Jamaica 1976 to discover whether the spy agency tried to influence an election and arrange for the assassination of reggae superstar Bob Marley. Discover whether The Beach Boys actually stole a song and the copyright from psychotic cult leader Charles Manson, and kept all of the royalties. Finally, uncover the secrets in the making of Nirvana’s Nevermind album, considered by many to be the most influential rock album of the 1990s.

These mysteries have intrigued rock and roll fans for so long because no one has ever asked eyewitnesses the tough questions or dug through the primary sources and documentary evidence left behind… until now. After many decades, the back stories of pop and rock music lore are finally unearthed—and the truth is revealed in Mysteries in Music: Case Closed.

THE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL DETECTIVE’S NEW BOOK:

Elvis Presley: Conversations with Scotty Moore by Jim Berkenstadt. Paperback and Kindle. Release Date: August 11, 2026.

www.elvispresleybook.com 

Amazon Description:

The Day Rock and Roll Declared Independence

July 4, 1954, was no ordinary Independence Day.

It was the day a young delivery truck driver named Elvis Presley walked into guitarist Scotty Moore’s Memphis living room to sing—and change popular music forever. Only three men were there: Elvis, Scotty, and bassist Bill Black. From that moment came a new kind of independence for American youth: the birth of Rock and Roll.

In Elvis Presley: Conversations with Scotty Moore, Elvis’s first guitarist, manager, and close confidante, reveals how a shy kid from Memphis became the King of Rock and Roll.

Scotty recalls their early days at Memphis Recording Service, the wild tours, tangling with Col. Tom Parker, making Hollywood films, and Elvis’ historic 1968 Comeback Special. Scotty’s pioneering guitar work on Presley’s records inspired a generation of great guitar slingers. This is Scotty Moore’s personal, inside story of the man – and the music – that set the world on fire.

The author signed his latest book for me!

John, Paul & Me Before the Beatles: The True Story of the Very Early Days

by Len Garry (Author)  Edited by Jim Berkenstadt:

John, Paul & Me Before the Beatles: The True Story of the Very Early Days: Len Garry: 9781784560782: Amazon.com: Books

Amazon Description:

This is a true life story account of Len Garry’s childhood memories of his childhood days spent with John Lennon and Paul McCartney and the forming of the band The Quarrymen. Also the day John Lennon met Paul McCartney for the very first time at St. Peter’s Church fete on 6th July 1957, this book is a first hand account of what took place on that day plus more stories.

The Beatles Digest- Contributions (under the pen name J.G. Schuberk)

Amazon Description:

The Beatles Digest: editors of Goldmine: 9780873419482: Amazon.com: Books

THE BIOGRAPHY OF THE DETECTIVE:

AND IN THE FUTURE:

Coming Next Year: A mystery about an early John Lennon guitar. Was it his? Did he use it to write early Beatles songs with Paul McCartney? Did he steal it? Where did he hide it? What happened to it, and where is it today?

I have never been disappointed with a Jim Berkenstadt book. You always will learn NEW and exciting information in his titles and that is the ultimate litmus test for me in determining the value of any book dealing with popular music and culture.

Solving mysteries is his specialty and the readers of his books are the beneficiaries of his hard work and dedication to excellence!

Be healthy and be happy!

Buzz

TERRY CRAIN’S NEW BOOK TITLE “BEATLES NOVELTY SONGS” IS AVAILABLE NOW:

BEATLES NOVELTY SONGS 1964-1966

A mammoth and comprehensive book featuring the Beatles novelty records issued between 1964-1966 is now available. You will be delighted and amazed with all of the stories associated with the 500 or so records that are detailed here! Once again, author Terry Crain has created a research work that represents a much-needed addition to the Beatles book library as it helps to demonstrate how deeply the Beatles permeated popular culture and society. Novelty records helped to do that with a sense of humor (humour) which was important to the Beatles repertoire of talents

Ordering information:

www.fabgear.company/beatlesnoveltysongs 

The endorsement to Terry’s wonderful research skills is summed up by one of the best in the business. You can view it at the bottom of the rear cover of the new book:

A FEW SAMPLE PAGES FROM THE BOOK:

One of my favorite entries in the Terry Crain book: The 500 songs in the book are presented in alphabetical order but I have chosen one of my favorite entries in the book as a sampling of what you will see in the pages of this wonderful piece of work by Terry Crain.

The Ringo I Love You track, written and produced by Phil Spector and sung by Bonnie Jo Mason (aka Cher)!

Ringo, I Love You YEAH! YEAH! YEAH! – Bonnie Jo Mason(Cher) Stereo 1964

Details: The flip side Beatle Blues

Bonnie Jo Mason – Beatle Blues -an instrumental written by Spector’s wife at the time!

That was a sampling of the type of stories that you will read about in Terry Crain’s spectacular new book!

Proud to have received a wonderful acknowledgement by the author in his book. Much appreciated, Terry! It is so nice to have the name mentioned amongst such luminaries in the Beatles

Credits:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A NOTE OF THANKS TO THE AUTHOR:

Thanks, Terry, for the wonderful inscription in your excellent book! Please don’t forget the sequel featuring the novelty records post 1966! You are the only person I would ever trust with producing that book!

Hope you enjoyed this sampling of Terry’s wonderful new book. Now it is your turn to make the decision to acquire and purchase a copy from the author. You will not be disappointed!!!

Ordering information:

Click below to get your copy

www.fabgear.company/beatlesnoveltysongs 

Be healthy and be happy!

Buzz

Recently received this upcoming book notification from author, Martin Orkin about The Beatles’ Hit Singles Part 2:

 With a low-priced offer! Plus, a special Part 1+2 bundle!

Hi everyone,

I am thrilled to tell you that I have now completed work on Part 2 of my detailed – and thrilling – examination of The Beatles’ incomparable collection of singles: The Beatles’ Hit Singles, Part 2. This time I am covering the intriguing era of 1966-1970, during which The Beatles created some of their finest work! My book is currently in the tender hands of my excellent print firm, and I am hoping to receive finished copies by the end of August 2026!

Here are the front and rear covers of Hit Singles, Part 2 for you to savour! (Blue – in honour of  The Beatles’ iconic hits collection of 1967-1970!) As usual with my books, Hit Singles, Part 2 will be glossy hardback. Also, like Part 1, there are colour images of iconic picture sleeves included. There will be 400 action-packed pages.

Part 2 includes my discussion of such wonderful records as ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’/’Penny Lane’, ‘Yellow Submarine’/’Eleanor Rigby’, ‘Hey Jude’, Get Back’, ‘Come Together’/’Something’ and ‘Let It Be’. Truly, there is something for everyone here. From the most tender of ballads to heavy duty rock, by way of some full blown psychedelic sounds! 

In Part 2 you will read about the following fascinating details among many:

* How Paul took control of The Beatles with ‘Paperback Writer’.

* How Ringo’s kiddies’ song saved the group from possible extinction in the US.

* John Lennon’s least favourite Beatles single. (And what about Paul McCartney’s!?)

* The biggest selling Beatles 45 worldwide of them all.

I have been overcome by all the fabulous comments I have received from people who have read and enjoyed Part 1 of my Beatles Hit Singles books. For example, here are brief extracts from the first few reviews that I received of many (I include lots of my lovely reviews in a section near the end of Part 2):

* The colour of the cover just hits you smack in the eye, just like the original albums did all those years ago. I have of course already started to dip in; no doubt I’ll have great pleasure in doing the same for eons to come!

* Your new book is outstanding. 

* I thoroughly enjoyed every page. You write from the heart and with absolute enthusiasm and knowledge,

* Well Martin, if you keep writing these wonderful books on the Fab Four then we’ll keep on buying them!

I very much hope that Part 2 meets with the same level of approval from my readers!

Once copies of Hit Singles 2 are available, and before I start advertising my new book more generally (at a higher price), I will be in touch with you to bring my loyal readers a special low-priced short term offer for Hit Singles 2, which will be just too good to refuse. And for those of you who have yet to dip their toes in the water with The Beatles’ Hit Singles, Part 1, I will be tempting you with another special low-priced offer: for buying a copy of each of Parts 1 & 2 together at the same time!

And don’t forget: for sales to Britain and America, and a few other countries, I can currently still send any two Hit Singles books for the same P&P cost as for one! 

Send no money now – but WATCH THIS SPACE!!

Yours Beatley,

Martin

MORE DETAILS WILL BE COMING SOON!

Be healthy and be happy!

Buzz

OUR FEATURED BOOK THIS WEEK