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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Here is the type of book that I love adding to my Beatles collection and library. Early in 2022, Ivano Poggi of Italy produced this wonderful 2 volume set of books which were each written in a numbered and signed edition of only 100 copies each. The books were issued in an English edition of which I purchased copy #100. The description of the two books is provided on the back covers of the respective titles shown below.
Standing With A Bootleg in Your Hand – Back Cover
The subject matter of these two books is a photographic history of many of the unauthorized Beatles Bootleg recordings that have appeared over the years. This is the type of book that gives me tremendous satisfaction in collecting, independently produced, a small limited-edition run, often difficult to find, and an interesting subject matter.
Standing With A Bootleg in Your Hand Vol 2
Standing With A Bootleg in Your Hand – Volume 2 Back Cover
The author did an excellent job with this project. Well done, Ivano!
Beautiful book of photos taken in 1963 by Norman Parkinson: With The Beatles
A beautiful book of Beatles photos taken in 1963 by noted British photographer, Norman Parkinson. His son, Simon Parkinson signed all 350 copies for his late father. Simon had assisted his father in taking several photos on the day this photo session occurred. This is a wonderful book to add to your collection if you can locate a copy. To state the obvious, since there are only 350 copies of this book, it is on the expensive part of the ledger!
Details of the date of publication and the publisher are noted below.
To me, this is a clear example, of one of the prime jewels of collecting limited-edition Beatles books.
With The Beatles
Book Details: There were 350 of this special limited edition book issued. I was fortunate to be able to acquire the last numbered and signed copy #350.
Hardcover – “Recycled Leather” Slipcase Edition with Clamshell box.
Limited Edition: 350 signed copies worldwide. Each copy is hand-signed by Simon Parkinson, Norman’s son, who took some of the shots with his father on that day, September 12, 1963.
Date: Published 2016
Page: 288 pages
Publisher: Rufus Stone Limited Editions Ltd
A sample page from the book:
George Harrison – Don’t Bother Me
Do you have a favourite book of Beatles photos? Let me know?
Buzz
If you like Beatles photobooks, we can also recommend:
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!
Beatlemania Lives On is written by a fan, about the fans, and for the fans, this book is about Beatles fandom and excitement for the band as it continues, undiminished, in the 21st century. The author conducted nearly 100 interviews with superfans across the globe, gathering stories that explain and exemplify the enthusiasm that drives this unique fandom.
Readers will meet fans who met and married at Beatleweek in Liverpool; who had the chance to go onstage with Paul McCartney, got his autograph on some unusual places on their bodies, and had the signature permanently tattooed; and first-generation fans who saw the Beatles live and remember every detail as if it was yesterday.
Noteworthy interviewees include Wings guitarist Laurence Juber; Mark Featherstone-Witty, co-founder of Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts; Bill Heckle, director of the Cavern Club and Magical Mystery Tour Bus in Liverpool; and well-known music publsiher David Stark, who now stands by Paul’s side at LIPA graduations, but started as a good-natured teenage fan sneaking his way into Beatles premieres and even knocking on band members’ front door.
The book also takes a deep dive into Beatles–related TV shows, Broadway musicals, movies, businesses, Sirius XM DJs, tribute bands, and more.
Excellent limited edition books about that famous Mad Day Out photo session taken around the time of the Beatles recording the “White Album.”
The Beatles were photographed in July of 1968 in several locations around London. The photographers taking photos of them that day were: Don McCullin, Ronald Fitzgibbon, Stephen Goldblatt, Tom Murray, Tony Bramwell, and Mal Evans.
Here are a few of the limited edition books about that famous photo shoot.
This book is by photographer and cinematographer, Stephen Goldblatt.
Edition One Books published this work for the non-profit organization Fotovison around 2010. Only issued in an edition of 250 copies, it is the most difficult Beatles Mad Day Out photo book to acquire. Two people who were instrumental in seeing this book become a reality were Beatles expert Norman Maslov and book designer, Michael Rylander. The images in this book are exclusively black and white!
Mad Day Out by Stephen Goldblatt
Paul McCartney originally commissioned war photographer Don McCullin to take photos of the Beatles for promotional purposes around the impending release of the “White Album.” The slip-cased signed version of this book containing both color/ colour and black and white photos is very rare, as Don McCullin had emergency surgery while he was beginning the signing of this special edition so very few of the signed slip-cased version of the book has made it to the marketplace. Here are a few photos of the McCullin book:
Published by Jonathan Cape, 2010
A Day in the Life of The Beatles
A Day in the Life of The Beatles
A Day in the Life of The Beatles
Tom Murray
Tom Murray’s book was published by Archivum publishers in 2018 to mark the 50th anniversary of the photoshoot.
Tom Murray was asked by photographer Don McCullin if he was interested in taking photos of a band he was shooting that day in 1968. Only Don McCullin did not notify Tom Murray of the band he was shooting that day. Tom agreed to go with Don that day. With the limited information that Don provided to Tom, he only took one roll of colour/color film with him to shoot that day. Needless to say, he was shocked and startled to see the band that McCullin was scheduled to photograph. Tom’s film was fortunately in color and he was able to take what many consider to be the best color photographs of the Beatles taken that day. Tom is a very friendly and gracious personality and has taken many fabulous photos throughout his illustrious career.
Mad Day Out by Tom Murray
The Beatles: The Summer of 1968
Earlier than the above-mentioned limited edition books, I was able to acquire a limited paperback version of Tom’s photos entitled: “The Beatles The Summer of 1968” through the UK company Tracks.
The Beatles The Summer of 1968
The Beatles The Summer of 1968
All of these books are highly sought after as they represent what possibly may be the best Beatles photoshoot of their career.
Is this your favourite Beatles photo shoot? Or do you have another?
Buzz
Another Beatles Photograph 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!
Adrian Allan was born in 1971. After showing early promise on the classical guitar, he went on to pass a performance diploma in 1996. He also has a keen interest in historical research which is clearly demonstrated in the following set of books noted below.
He holds a BA Hons degree in history from Lancaster University and a Master’s with distinction in Scottish history from The University of the Highlands and Islands.
The books noted here are all self-published by Adrian under the imprint of “Meadow Music Publishing”.
Adrian’s McCartney books are not only well-researched, they have the advantage of being written by someone with a depth of musical knowledge which allows the information to be presented in both an informative and educational context. He is thorough and I have learned significant new material from this author. For further information about Adrian’s titles, you can access this website https://paulmccartneyafterthebeatles.com/
Current list of Adrian’s McCarney books:
Paul McCartney After The Beatles A Musical Appreciation
Published in 2019 -this is a two-volume set appearing in 2019 and 2020 that demonstrates many of the musical contributions that Paul has presented to the world after being in the greatest pop band ever. This impressive two-volume set was an impressive debut into the world of Beatles-related literature.
Paul McCartney After The Beatles A Musical Appreciation Volume 2
Published in 2020
Paul McCartney After The Beatles – 2
Wings Live
Published in 2020 and deals primarily with Paul’s post-Beatle performances during the Wings years.
Wings Live
Paul McCartney The World Tour 1989-90
Published in 2022-This volume deals with a specialized short time frame when Paul did numerous live appearances throughout the world. I was amazed at the depth of information provided in this volume.
Paul McCartney The World Tour 1989-90
Wings Live Extended Special Edition
Published in 2022-an expanded edition of his Wings Live book which includes memories and photos of fans that were fortunate to see Paul as a live performer in his post-Beatle years. My memories of seeing Paul perform live for the first time in 1976 were included in this volume.
When I was young, not only did I have a fascination with the music of the Beatles but I also loved comic books, specifically Marvel comics. With the following comics, I believed I was getting the best of both worlds as my favorite band was being celebrated in the comic book lexicon. Unfortunately, my comic book collection was thrown out when I became a teenager as it was explained to me that I was getting “too old to read those kids’ magazines.” As the years passed, and it was shown how much some of those thrown-away comics were now worth, the decision made by my parents turned out to be a foolish one. Ironically, as I became an older citizen, I was able to reclaim some of those souvenirs from my youth. Here are a few comic book/Beatles tales that you might find interesting.
The first story which I have also provided a link to is possibly the most interesting. The rarest Marvel Beatles-related comic book in the world has a mixed history as it has a Beatles connection but the movie the comic book was based on was virtually universally panned by critics everywhere. It was the Peter Frampton, Bee-Gees, Billy Preston, George Burns, Alice Cooper etc. version of Sgt. Pepper. Though the music was produced by George Martin, the film failed miserably at the box office. Marvel was going to print an English-language comic book version of the new Sgt. Pepper film but when they saw the poor performance financially of the film, they withdrew the English language version of the comic. It was released in France and Canada in French. It was also released in a few Asian countries but even in the countries that issued the comic, the supply was very limited. I was lucky to be able to track down a rare hardback French language copy of the comic a few years ago and a photo of the comic appears below. Despite the film’s poor reception by the public, the desire to have something concerning the Beatles that was so difficult to find even though it got horrendous reviews, served as the catalyst or enticement to get the rarity for the collection.
Here is the excellent story written by author John Freeman and the link with all the details. Hope you will enjoy!!! Author John Freeman describes this rare comic in the following article appearing on downthetubes.net in 2021.
How a 1970s “lost” Marvel Comic still takes Beatles fans on a magical mystery tour
This is the hardback version of the comic that I was able to purchase:
Sgt. Pepper’s
This is the well-known English language Marvel comic book dealing with the Beatles Story. Many Beatles collectors have a copy of this comic and it is relatively easy to find.
The Beatles Story Comic
Marvel had many satirical appearances by the Beatles or a member of the band in many issues, often to spoof political or cultural situations. Here is an example:
Spoof Magazine
The fact that the Beatles were so popular in the ’60s led to Marvel weaving something about the band into many of their comics. Here is a classic example where The Fantastic Four spoof the Beatles:
