The Beatles In India Archives - The Beatles Bookstore

The Beatles in India

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 Rishikesh

This edition under a different title was published in October of 2000 by Viking Studio.

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.

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.

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)

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.

This somewhat updated version of the book was published in 2005 by Rupa & Co.

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.

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.