Recommended Beatles Book List



One of the best places to learn facts about the Beatles is reading books written about them. The question is, withch ones are good and which ones are bad. In the past two and a half years, I have read quite a few Beatles books. Some were good while others not-so-good. Below I have compiled a list of good books about the Beatles that I have read. I found these very good, and I think you will, too.

  • The Beatles by Hunter Davies, 1968
    This is one of the few books that the Beatles themselves authorised. It doesn't cover their whole career, but it has informative info on their private, which is quite interesting, and I've never seen so much info on their private lives in any other book. A definite must-read. (There have been updates of this book sometime in the 70's and in 1996)

  • The Beatles Album by Julia Delano, 1991
    This book is a big collection of photos spanning from their childhood to the mid eighties. Most of the pictures are very excellent, and the book is very fun to look at over and over again. One of the best Beatles photo books out there. (Well, other than Michael McCartney's books.)

  • How They Became the Beatles by Gareth L. Pawlowski, 1989
    The very first Beatles book I ever read, and an excellent one it is. The book spans their early years; 1960-1964. Very informative, tons of pictures, and even an "Application for a Date With the Nicest Girl in Liverpool", filled out by Paul McCartney. Another must-read, especailly if you're interested in the band's early years.

  • A Day in the Life: The Music and Artistry of the Beatles by Mark Hertsgaard, 1995
    Anohter very good book; very detailed account of every song the Beatles recorded and released, from when the song was written to the master take. It tells what the song was like in its first demo, and how it changed and/or what was added up until the master take. Anohter must-read.

  • The Macs: Mike McCartney's Family Album by Michael McCartney, 1981
    A very enjoyable and hilariuos book about the remembrances of Michael MCartney, Paul's brohter. It tells everything from Mike and Paul's childhoods up to what they were doing in the early eighties. There's also a lot of pictures; some of which were taken by Mike. Once you start reading, you won't be able to put it down. One of the best Beatles books out there.

  • With a Little Help From my Friends: The Making of Sgt. Pepper by George Martin, 1994
    A very detailed account about the making of the album Sgt. Pepper. It tells everything you could possibly know about the album from the first demos of the songs, when they were recorded, what instruments were used, how the songs were fixed up and what takes were put together, to when the songs were put on the album and released. A must-read if you happen to really enjoy the album Sgt. Pepper

  • Beatlesongs by William J. Dowlding, 1989
    An interesting book, telling about every song the Beatles released, including what instruments were used and who played them, who sang lead on what song, who wrote how much of a song, when it was recorded, etc. A must-read.

  • With the Beatles: The Historic Photographs of Dezo Hoffmann by Pearce Marchbank, 1982
    Another photo book (a very good one) of pictures taken by Dezo Hoffmann, the Beatles main photographer from 1963-1965. The pictures are all black-and- white, including the collarless-suit studio pics, pics of the Beatles just goofing off and having fun, and more.

  • A Hard Day's Write: The Story Behind Every Beatles Song by Steve Turner, 1994
    A book that tells the behind-the-scenes stories of how every song that the Beatles wrote. Many photos are also included with this. Another interesting must-read.

  • The Ultimate Beatles Encyclopedia by Bill Harry, 1992
    A reference book of the many people that in some way had something to do with one or all of the Beatles, whether it be directly or indirectly. Over 1500 entries are listed, and every time you page through it, you find somethign that you didn't knwo was there or someone you've never heard of. There are also tons of photos. Yet another must-read. (It's also great for if you need to find out something without having to get another book just to find out one thing.)

  • Remember by Michael McCartney, 1992
    Another photo book by Mike, and this one has over 100 pages of photos; the bulk of them taken in the late 50's and early 60's. Some are in black and white while others are in colour. It almost seems like you're actually there, witnessing what's going on in the picture. One of the bset Beatles photo books out there.

  • John Lennon In My Life by Pete Shotton, 1983
    A very interesting and funny book by John's longtime friend Pete Shotton. This book tells about Pete's friendship with John from when they first met up until the end. There is lots about the childhood and teenage years, and those are the funniest parts, in my opinion. There's also many pictures along with this, and you won't be able to put this one down, either. Another definite must-read. (Warning: Like John, Pete has a foul mouth, so there's a lot of bad language in here, and if you absolutely desipse that kind of language, you probably wouldn't wnat to read this book.)

  • Mike Mac's White and Blacks Plus One Colour by Michael McCartney, 1987
    Yet another Michael McCartney book, and it's just as good as the ohter two. This one has a ton of photos taken by Mike, a lot of them from the early 60's. This one is hilarious also, including the title. (You'll know what I mean if you've read the book.) An enjoyable must-read.

  • Who Was Eleanor Rigby... and 908 More Questions and Answers about the Beatles by Brandon Toropov, 1996
    This book is what the title says: 909 trivia questions and answers about the Beatles. An interesting read, and fun at parties or other gatherings.

    If you have any other Beatles books that weren't listed here that you liked, please fill out the survey below.

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    Unfortunately, some of these books are out-of-print or hard to find. Here are some places where you can find them:

  • The library. Of course, you don't get to keep the book, but at least you'll still get to read it. (If your library doesn't have the book you're looking for, some libraries have this program where you can ask your library to borrow the book from another library.) Then there's the libraries by mail where you borrow books through the mail. You can ask your librarian about this type of program, also.

  • The used book stores, the bargain bins, and/or stores going out of business. I found A Hard Day's Write at a used book store and With a Little Help From My Friends from a store that was going out of business for about $15.00 apice, and Who Was Eleanor Rigby... at a used bookstore for $2.98

  • If your local library is getting rid of any books, ask them if maybe you could have them or buy the books from the library. I got How They Became the Beatles this way!

  • At Beatlefest or any other convention of that type. I've heard they have lots of the rare ones. Or you could get them through the Beatlefest catalogue for a discount. I got John Lennon In My Life, Remember, and Mike Mac's White and Blacks through the Beatlefest catalogue for $10.00, $15.00, and $18.00

  • Also, Beatles books sometimes show up at garage sales, thrift stores, sidewalk sales, places like that for a low price. (The rare ones, especially.)

    NOTE: In case you wanted to know, this file was used as a demonstration speech for English class on how to make a webpage. I made a demonstration page (which had just a little bit of info from here just to demonstrate how to make the webpage), and then I showed this page-the finished result, and how to make the link on the main page. (Oh, and if you're wondering, I got an A on the report.) :)

    b_strawberry_02@hotmail.com

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