A fascinating aspect of collecting Beatles print-related material is the many privately published books that are lurking out there for the discerning collector. There are many treasures that are not well-known by the public as they are not affiliated with a major publisher and are published privately by the author. As a collector, these books have many special collector attributes. Because they are privately published, often the number of these books issued is severely restricted or limited because of the high cost of printing a large volume of the title. Would like to highlight one of these privately published books that I was able to acquire recently on eBay, thanks to being alerted by a fellow collector, Seamus Hayes.
Beatles Songs of Lennon/McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr
This book deals with people who have covered the songs of Lennon and McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. At 522 pages, it looks at CDs, albums, and singles from virtually every corner of the world. What makes this book especially attractive for collectors is that at the present time, there are only 30 known current copies of the book in existence.
Second-Hand Beatles back cover
Would love to see this book be available to a much wider audience with a major publisher. However, I must also be honest, as a collector, the smaller number of privately published copies enhances the special quality of possessing a very rare item. Personally extending my best wishes for the author to find the mass circulation publisher that he is looking for.
I am not currently selling any more via eBay but if you know of anyone who wants to purchase a copy please give them this e mail address below to make contact. Many thanks Alan Lord
alanlorduk@yahoo.co.uk
Special books like this deserve to be made available to the large Beatles book collector audience.
What is your favourite cover of a Beatles song? Let me know in the comments below.
There are a couple of Beatles-related books, one written in German and the other one in French that deserve to have English language translations!
Warum spielst du Imagine nicht auf dem weißen Klavier, John? Hardcover
The first book which the title translates to “Why Don’t You Play ‘Imagine’ on the White Piano, John”, was written by longtime Beatle associate, Klaus Voormann. It has been reported that Klaus does have a desire to have the book translated but he has not yet found a translator that he has complete faith in. It truly is a shame that English-language audiences have been denied the opportunity to read Klaus’s great stories.
German Edition Published by Heyne Verlag, Munich October 31, 2003
My brother’s name was John Lennon
John Lennon’s mom Julia had a child after John, Julia, and Jacqui. Her name was Victoria, changed to Ingrid by her adoptive parents. Julia gave the child up for adoption and John never met her. This book written only in French is Victoria/Ingrid’s story. Though certainly not containing much, if any, Beatle information, it certainly would be nice to be able to read her story. Would also love to see a book written about John Lennon’s two half-brothers, David and Robin Lennon. These were the two children fathered by John Lennon’s dad, Freddie, with his second wife, Pauline Lennon. It would be interesting to know why the two brothers have shunned absolutely any association whatsoever with their famous brother!
French edition by Ingrid Pedersen Publisher : Michel Lafon (June 9 2005)
My Brother’s Name Was John Lennon
Have you got either of these two books? Have you translated them? Would be interested to hear from you.
This is the picture sleeve that Klaus Voormann used to introduce himself to the Beatles. I have been trying to find this sleeve for many years but it simply is too expensive for me to acquire!
Klaus introduced himself to John Lennon at one of the German clubs where they were playing long hours – The Kaiserkeller – and truly honing their musical craft. To impress John, he showed John a picture sleeve he had recently designed the cover of. The sleeve was “Walk Don’t Run” by the Typhoons.
The song was also a hit for the Ventures. The sleeve is what holds the interest to many collectors as it was one of the first commercial record designs that Klaus Voormann created. When Klaus showed the sleeve to John Lennon, John told Klaus, go see “Stu” (Sutcliffe) as he is the artistic one.” This quote has been relayed by Klaus on several Youtube videos.
Astrid
When Klaus told his friend Astrid about the band and brought her to see them, she met and fell in love with Stu, and also began a time when she photographed the band and took some of the best photos ever of them. Sadly, her romance with Stu was to be short-lived as he died of a cerebral hemorrhage at a very young age. Fate was also to deny Stu the opportunity to see how big his former bandmates were to become in the musical world. Shortly before he died, Stu had left the Beatles to pursue his artistic career.
I have been looking for this picture sleeve for quite some time but unfortunately, it commands some very high prices, and I have had no luck securing a copy for what I deem to be a reasonable figure.
A small sample of the book catalog of A. B. Rhodes. He has published numerous Beatles books and had the great idea of publishing his private collection of newspaper and magazine articles as a series of books through the publisher, Lulu. This page is regularly updated as the collection grows.
In my opinion they serve as excellent time capsules to the Beatles era.
Advertising the Beatles Volume 1
This book is the first volume of a compilation series of one fan’s collection of advertisements promoting anything related to The Beatles. Songs; Albums; Films, the Apple Years and even some of the solo years.
Advertising the Beatles Volume
Advertising the Beatles Volume 2
Advertising The Beatles
The Fabulous Beatles 1964
The Fabulous Beatles 1964
The Fabulous Beatles 1965
The Fabulous Beatles 1965
The Fabulous Beatles 1966
The Fabulous Beatles 1964
The Beatles Rave
The Beatles Rave
The Beatles Rave 1965
The Beatles Rave 66-70
Early Beatles In The News
Early Beatles In The News
Early Beatles In The News 2
Early Beatles In The News 3
Early Beatles In The News 4
Beatles Beat
The Beatles Beat
The Beatles World Scrapbook
The Beatles World Scrapbook
The Beatles World Scrapbook 2
The Beatles World Scrapbook 3
The Beatles in The Mirror – 1964-1965
The Beatles in The Mirror 1964 – 1965
The Beatles in The Mirror 1966 – 1969
Solo Beatles In The Mirror 1970-1974
By A. B. Rhodes
Book Description from Lulu
1970-1974 were the first years of Solo Beatles. After conquering the world through the 1960’s, their fans and the media were waiting to see what the four (now) ex-Beatles, could do as individuals. This book contains newspaper articles, photos, interviews from that time. Taken from one life long fan’s collection, it provides a fascinating insight into the world of music in the 1970’s. The original articles as they appeared all those years ago. A terrific addition to and Beatles fans bookshelf!
Solo Beatles in the Mirror 1970-1974
Solo Beatles in the Mirror – 1975 – 1979
The Beatles Beat 1970-1975
by A.B. Rhodes A well-informed London-based monthly music magazine featuring pop and beat groups of the 1960’s through to rock and progressive groups of the 1970’s and 80’s. Originally christened Beat Monthly it was renamed Beat Instrumental Monthly by issue 18 and then Beat Instrumental magazine from issue 37. It catered for musicians with reviews of musical instruments, guitars, effects, amps, and production equipment along with some great interviews, music news articles, and record album reviews which attracted many non-musicians. This book has been compiled as a reference for all Beatle fans by a lifelong Beatles fan so that fans (past, present, and future) can see how the media reported on John, Paul, George & Ringo back in the 1960s and up to the mid-1970s.
Beatles Beat 1970 – 75
What a fantastic resource these books are! Well done A. B. Rhodes!
A FEW BOOKS BY ENGINEERS OR PRODUCERS WHO HAVE STORIES IN THEIR VOLUMES DEALING WITH WORKING WITH RINGO STARR (AKA RICHARD STARKEY)
The above book is by an engineer who worked on both the Ringo LP and the Goodnight Vienna LP
Behind the Board:My Life with Rock and Roll Legends Paperback – August 8, 2014
(Author) Scott Cahill (Author) Galen Senogles CreateSpace Independent Publishing
Chairman at the Board: Recording the Soundtrack of a Generation Hardcover – March 1, 2021
by Bill Schnee
Published by Backbeat (Author)
This engineer worked on the Ringo LP and Ringo mentions him by name in the closing song “You and Me (Babe)” written by George Harrison and Mal Evans. He also engineered Ringo’s Goodnight Vienna album.
Chairman at the Board
The legendary producer Richard Perry who has produced Barbra Streisand, Harry Nillson, Carly Simon and many others. These are his memoirs:
Cloud Nine: Memoirs of a Record Producer Paperback – February 16, 2021
by Richard Perry (Author) Published by Redwood Publishing, LLC
Cloud Nine
This producer also had a legendary career and he was working on a Ringo album when disagreements arose between artist and producer as to whether the material should be issued. This led to a court case where Ringo prevailed and prevented the sessions from being released. Some tracks however have surfaced in the underground circuit like Ringo’s cover of the Billy Swan hit single “I Can Help.” Another highlight is the Ringo Starr/Bob Dylan duet of the song, “Wish I Knew Now, What I Knew Then.”
Hope we get a chance to see these sessions for purchase one day.
Chips Moman: The Record Producer Whose Genius Changed American Music Hardcover – December 10, 2020
by James L. Dickerson (Author) Published by Sartoris Literary Group
A subject matter that seems to have been thoroughly examined in books is the 1968 Beatles’ sojourn to India. Largely influenced by the impact of Eastern culture on Beatle George Harrison, the Beatles became transfixed on learning Transcendental Meditation and the ancient philosophy of Indian culture.
George in particular, through his association with sitar virtuoso, Ravi Shankar, was able to commingle spiritual Indian music, with the realm of pop music.
The Beatles White Album
Not only did their journey to India inspire the writing of nearly all of the songs on the Beatles “White Album” but years after their trip, both John and Paul were to write songs about India in their solo years.
Paul Saltzman
Undoubtedly, the best photographs taken of the Beatles in India were by film producer, Paul Saltzman. The photos were presented in a number of book releases of which a couple are shown here.
The first one is the limited edition published in October of 2006 by Insight Editions-
Signed and numbered Limited Edition, only 1968 copies were issued.
Paul allowed me to purchase copy #1968 which is also the year the pictures were taken and the year of the release of the fabulous “White Album” aka “The Beatles.”
The photos in this book are stunning and may be the best photos of the Beatles taken at a specific location, somewhat akin to the Mad Day Out photo session in London, though the Beatles seem to be more relaxed in the Indian setting.
This hardcover edition was released in Feb of 2018-Has a preface by Tim Wride, an Afterword by Donovan and a Foreword by Pattie Boyd Also published by Inside Editions.
The Beatles in India
The Beatles in Rishikesh
This edition under a different title was published in October of 2000 by Viking Studio.
The Beatles in Rishikesh
This book is more of a history of India and the cover shot was probably used a marketing tool for sales. The book is written by author Sam Miller and is an outstanding historical perspective of a foreigner and how he perceives the beauty and wonder of Indian culture. Published in July of 2015 by Vintage Books.
A Strange Kind of Paradise
With The Beatles, by Lewis Lapham, was published in October of 2005 by Melville House Publishers. I found this book to be very informative and the author delves into the goings-on behind the scenes in this book which may or may not alter your perspectives of what has been written before about the Beatles’ disillusionment when the Beatles left the Maharishi’s camp.
With The Beatles
Dear Prudence
At a Fest for Beatles fans in NY, I was able to meet Mia Farrow’s sister and the lady who was the inspiration for the famous song “Dear Prudence.” I was able to give her as a gift the demo that John had written of the song which she told me she had never heard. She was so kind to sign a copy of her book for me at a later date with some of the lyrics from the song as part of the inscription. A very kind soul was my distinct impression of her.
CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; First Edition (June 26, 2015)
Dear Prudence
This book by Nancy Cooke Herrera was one of those books I accidentally stumbled upon at Abe Books, looking for Beatles-related titles. This book was authored by the lady who was the inspiration along with her son for John Lennon’s song “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill” featured on the “White Album.” Nancy was the mother of the man who shot the tiger which was detailed in the song. She was also a friend of the reclusive Greta Garbo. I was able to obtain a signed edition of this book. Nancy is now deceased.
Beyond Gurus
This somewhat updated version of the book was published in 2005 by Rupa & Co.
All You Need Is Love
The Maharishi
Author Paul Mason has written two wonderful books about both the Maharishi and the Beatles’ trip to India. The first one is a biography of the Maharishi. Published in 1994, the hardcover edition was published by Element Books.
The Maharishi
This is Paul’s book that is more directed towards the Beatles’ element in India.
Published by Premanand (May 15, 2017). This is a unique book in the Beatles Indian collection. It is a volume that I enjoyed very much.
The Beatles, Drugs, Mysticism & India
Author Susan Shumsky has written two books with the theme of the Maharishi and the Beatles. The first title discusses her many years of interaction with the leader of TM.
The book was published by Skyhorse; First Edition (February 13, 2018)
Maharishi & Me
The Inner Light
Susan’s new release is shown here. I have just begun to read this title published in 2022 by Permuted Press. Interested in learning Susan’s more analytic approach to this subject. Obtain a signed copy of the book from the Fest for Beatles fans.
The Inner Light
I thoroughly enjoyed this relatively obscure account of an actor’s recollections of being there in India in 1968. Many fascinating anecdotes in this one. Judd Linger’s interesting book was independently published in October 2021.
The Beatles: All Too Much
I wanted to discuss one of the many Beatles in India books that has the perspective of a man native to India as he not only discusses the impact that India had on the Beatles but also the impact that the Beatles had on India. I found this book to be very informative and entertaining and reinforced my opinions of how deep the cultural impact of the Beatles truly extended. How the band was able to incorporate stimuli from so many sources, assimilate them, and make them a part of their musical vocabulary.
Thís book was written by Ajoy Bose, published in 2018 by India Viking.
Across the Universe
Another book that deals with the impact of Eastern mysticism on the Beatles
NOTHING IS REAL: WHEN THE BEATLES MET THE EAST By Luca Beatrice
Publisher: Silvana Year of Publication 2017
Nothing Is Real
The subject of The Beatles in India is such an interesting one and a fascinating collection of books help us understand The Beatles more.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi: The Biography of the Man Who Gave Transcendental Meditation to the World (2020)
This is an updated version of the earlier book (see above) and includes more information as well as more photographs too.
Maharishi Biography by Paul Mason
The songs inspired in India can sometimes divide Beatles fans. Did you like the Indian influences? Let me know in the comments below.
Golden Slumbers
Making Rock and Breaking Stock£20.00
Beatles Novelty Songs 1964-1966
The Beatles What If? Limited Edition Hardback (US & CANADA)Original price was: £28.50.£20.00Current price is: £20.00.
The Quarrymen in Rosebery Street Compilation Poster£40.00
The Quarrymen in Rosebery Street Poster£40.00
The Quarrymen in Rosebery Street (Red) – Signed Photograph£125.00
