The blog is designed to feature both old and new Beatles-related print material including books, magazines, posters, or correspondence with people that have a Beatles connection or association. The blog will also feature books from people that have worked with the individual members of the group during their solo careers! Looking forward to seeing you here! Looking forward to your participation and feedback on the blog!
John “Buzz” Bezzini has one of the world’s largest collections of Beatles books and he will share his thoughts and opinions on some of the more rare and unusual Beatles titles.
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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I have been asked on numerous occasions, what are my favorite photography books about the Beatles.
I have two favorites and they both are by the same photographer, the late Henry Grossman, and both books are published by the same publisher known as Curvebender.
The first book is called Kaleidoscope Eyes and was issued in a limited edition of 1967 copies, to mark the year of the Summer of Love and also the year the majestic Sgt. Pepper album was released. Upon learning of the impending release of this book, I contacted the publishers and requested copy #1967, the last signed and numbered copy and I was successful in my request to obtain that copy. This book captures the recording session for the song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and the photos are presented in chronological order and are breathtaking in fabulous black and white.
Limited Edition
Henry’s Photograph of John Lennon
A Day in the Life of Sgt. Pepper
Places I Remember
Places I Remember
Do you agree? Or do you know of a better book? Let me know in the comments?
Buzz
Another Great Beatles Photography Book
Bill Zygmant – Where Did You Get That Shirt? (Signed Limited Edition)
Get your copy of Bill Zygmant’s portfolio book of unique photographs covering his career from the late 1960s to the 1980s.
This will be a signed, numbered edition – maximum of 250 numbered editions.
It comes with one of Bill’s signed photographs, which usually sells for £50!
Well-known minimalist poet, Aram Saroyan, in 1970, issued the most bizarre printed work on the Beatles.
He issued a 300-copy work called “The Beatles.” Fifty of the copies of the book were signed copies. In my days of getting virtually everything print-related concerning the Beatles I bought one of the signed copies for $40.00. Years later, some of the people who laughed and scoffed at my purchase at the ridiculous price of $40 are singing a different tune as I have seen copies of the work command $300 and getting it, or even more. These prices also highlight the concept of how “value” is determined in any collectible.
Four Pages Long
Saroyan’s work about the Beatles is only 4 pages long and all it does is mention the names of the four Beatles. Most rational people would say that is ridiculous and one must be crazy to buy something like this.
However when one pays thousands of dollars for a Jackson Pollock painting that has paint arbitrarily thrown on a canvas and is passed off as a work of art, any different? Value is often determined by what the person is willing to pay and the status and reputation of the person creating and selling the work. What constitutes true art and value have various interpretations by all of us who consider ourselves consumers, or fools, depending on your viewpoint. Yoko Ono has been said to have a minimalist perspective in many of her art pieces. For example, a half-a-chair sculpture, where you need to imagine the other half of the chair.
Avant-Garde
Some people are critical of anything termed “avant-garde” or as several Beatles have mentioned over the years that the term gives the artists “avant-garde” a clue as to what is going on and are only putting on the public.
Some people say this type of art is designed simply to get a reaction from the audience. I have yet to see an all-encompassing definition of what constitutes or defines true art for me. Some people will pay thousands of dollars for a Salvador Dali painting of a melting timepiece, yet others would not waste their time buying something so surrealistic. I suppose one could say this wide-ranging definition is what makes the subject so interesting.
Have provided a link for the definition of minimalism below. This is followed by my signed copy of the Beatles book by Saroyan. Hope it brings a smile and a laugh to your faces that I actually spent $40 on a 4 page book!!!
The Website “Pen and the Pad” helps to define what minimalist poetry is and Saroyan is mentioned as one of the main contributors to this form of communication.
A relatively hard to find McCartney book and an unreleased John Lennon book from the same company
Paul McCartney
Sire-Chappell published a series of music profile books back in the seventies. One that did see the light of day was the McCartney book that is featured below, which I have had in my collection for many years and have thoroughly enjoyed. There was also supposed to have been a Lennon book issued by the same company, that was never released or issued. The proof or evidence of that is known by the back cover of one of the actually released Sire-Chappell books.
John Lennon
You can see the proposed Lennon cover photo in the 2nd photo shown below. The Lennon book never came out as the final manuscript was not delivered to the publisher by the author for some reason. I know nothing more than that and that reason was given on a discussion group on the Internet, so I do not know how much validity that holds. In either case we do know that a Lennon book was indeed planned by the back cover of one of the actual released Sire-Chappell books.
The Proposed Books including one on John Lennon
I love stories like this that deal with the “what if’s” surrounding collecting possibilities that might have been.
Hardcover (with dust jacket), limited edition, numbered and signed, comes with one big colored poster, two small black and white posters, one quote card, one bookmark and four wallet-size photos of the individual Beatles.
The Beatles in the Philippines-Learn about the controversy surrounding the Beatles and the Marcos family. Many people have speculated that what happened to the Beatles in Manila hastened their decision to permanently stop touring!
This book is only available through Facebook. A signed limited edition of 1,000 copies which chronicles the Beatles controversial escapades in the Philippines.
Contact information in the Philippines for those who may be interested in the book:
Available at Popular Bookstore, 305 FLP Building, Tomas Morato Avenue, Quezon City. For orders and inquiries, please message/ e-mail us at pobost@yahoo.com.ph, you may also contact 8332-1567 ; 949 1234 464 BUSINESS HOURS: 09:00 AM – 05:00 PM ; Monday to Friday except Holidays
The Beatles in Manila Book Package
This book was brought to my attention by Seamus Hayes, an excellent Beatles book and print collector from the UK. I thank him for his diligence as you have to be a Facebook member to be able to buy this book. My Facebook days are over, but new and better things are on the horizon though…!!! Stay tuned!
Thanks to Seamus, I was able to acquire a copy of this book for the collection, the last signed and numbered copy! Grateful to my good friends across the pond!
The Beatles in Manila Book
My Signed Copy – Number 1000
The Stack of Signed Books – Going Fast
Hope you enjoy this amazing book about one of the most famous incidents in the Beatles touring years.
A few interesting John Lennon print items I was able to acquire on eBay in the last 5 years:
The first item is an educational guide printed by the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame intended to help educators in the task of being able to teach youngsters about the life and contributions of John Lennon to both music and culture.
John Lennon His Life And Work A Guide For Educators Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
Guide to Lennon His Life and Work
Contents
Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame
This is the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame Lennon catalog summarizing John’s life and contributions to worldwide culture. This wonderful book is available both at the Hall of Fame in Cleveland, at their website, and through such organizations as eBay.
Lennon His Life and Work
John Lennon Tribute Tribute Concert 1990
A wonderful Lennon tribute concert program from Liverpool in 1990. This is the program that was available at the event. I love items like this as it serves as a memento of the concert even if you were not fortunate enough to be able to attend. There was a DVD, laser disk, and VHS release of this concert, with actor Michael Douglas serving as the narrator/host.
Before I departed Facebook, the announcement came across the medium that Lizzie Bravo had passed away from heart problems at age 70. I was fortunate to have had the good fortune to have many communications with the very prominent and celebrated Lizzie on Instant Messenger on Facebook. She was a wonderful lady with a warm heart and so many great memories of her travelling from her native Brazil in the sixties to London, to be present during the Beatles golden age of musical creations.
Across The Universe
She was also one of two fans, Gayleen Pease was the other, who was invited to sing backing vocals on John Lennon’s song “Across the Universe” in 1968. I firmly believe “Across the Universe” is one of the Beatles’ most underrated numbers. Several years ago, Lizzie published her Beatles memoirs in a book that was published in her native Brazil. I was able to purchase a signed copy from her.
Lizzie’s Inscription for John
I loved the photos, but I am not knowledgeable of the Portuguese language, so I missed out on most of the stories behind the photos. At the end of her life, Lizzie had completed her English translation of her book and was seeking out the best publication arrangement that she could find for its release.
Lizzie Bravo’s Book
Several months after her passing, I contacted Lizzie’s daughter to ask her if she had plans to complete her mom’s wish to one day issue the book in English. She promised me that she would eventually issue her mom’s book in English as that would ensure a much wider audience for the book by the prominent Beatles fan. I have included several photos here of the Brazilian edition of the book and I am sure we will all look forward to the day when her family is able to produce the English language edition for Beatles fans everywhere.
