Overview
Books started coming out just a few years after The Beatles and Beatlemania ran wild across the globe. The success of Paul, John, George, Ringo, and their supporting cast caused many authors and music fans wanting more. Over the years, The Beatles lore grew and there were plenty more stories to be told. Books are a perfect place to get all of the details documenting the rise and fall of The Beatles.
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Best Beatles Books
There likely isn’t a resource that can tell you exactly how many Beatles books were made (official and unofficial), but it’s likely hundreds if not thousands. Mixed with articles in popular magazines (and now online blogs), there are countless stories and narratives about the group. It might not be possible to read them all, but we recommend that you dive into several.
And In The End: The Last Days of The Beatles
Ken McNab’s in-depth look at The Beatles’ acrimonious final year is a detailed account of the breakup featuring the perspectives of all four band members and their roles. A must to add to the collection of Beatles fans, And In the End is full of fascinating information available for the first time.
Book Rating
Book Metadata
- Author: Ken McNab
- Release: 2022
- Length: 320 pages
- Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
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Shout! The True Story of The Beatles
Philip Norman’s biography of the Beatles is the definitive work on the world’s most influential band—a beautifully written account of their lives, their music, and their times. Now brought completely up to date, this epic tale charts the rise of four scruffy Liverpool lads from their wild, often comical early days to the astonishing heights of Beatlemania, from the chaos of Apple and the collapse of hippy idealism to the band’s acrimonious split. It also describes their struggle to escape the smothering Beatles’ legacy and the tragic deaths of John Lennon and George Harrison. Witty, insightful, and moving, Shout! is essential reading not just for Beatles fans but for anyone with an interest in pop music.
Book Metadata
- Author: Philip Norman
- Release: 2004
- Length: 528 pages
- Publisher: Pan MacMillan
You Never Give Me Your Money: The Beatles After the Breakup
Acclaimed journalist Peter Doggett recounts the previously untold story of the dramatic final chapter in the lives, loves, and legal battles of John, Paul, George, and Ringo—aka The Beatles—from their breakup in 1969 to the present day. Called “refreshingly straightforward and highly readable” by The Daily Telegraph (London), You Never Give Me Your Money is the dramatic and intimate story of the breakup and aftermath of The Fab Four as it’s never been told before.
Book Metadata
- Author: Peter Doggett
- Release: 2010
- Length: 400 pages
- Publisher: Harper
The Beatles on Film: Analysis of Movies, Documentaries, Spoofs and Cartoons
This book provides the production history and a contextual interpretation of “The Beatles'” movies (“A Hard Day’s Night”, “Help!”, “Yellow Submarine”, and “Let It Be”) and describes their ability to project the group’s image at different stages in their career. It also includes a discussion of all of the Beatles’ promotional films and videos, as well as their television cartoon series and the self-produced television special “Magical Mystery Tour”. Along with The Beatles’ feature movies and promos, this analysis also contains documentaries, such as “The Compleat Beatles” and “Anthology”, as well as dramatizations of the band’s history, such as “Backbeat”, “The Hours and Times”, and “Two of Us”.
Book Metadata
- Author: Roland Reiter
- Release: 2008
- Length: 214 pages
- Publisher: Transcript Verlag
Tell Me Why: The Beatles: Album By Album, Song By Song
Perhaps the first serious analysis of the Beatles’ work and its impact on popular music, Tell Me Why is meticulous in its purpose and long overdue….Of the hundreds of books written about [the Beatles] none bring the musical knowledge and the familiarity with the period that Riley offers here.”
Book Metadata
- Author: Tim Riley
- Release: 1988
- Length: 423 pages
- Publisher: Knopf
The Beatles and Film: From Youth Culture to Counterculture
This concise yet comprehensive study explores the emblematic journey by four young men from Liverpool from the epicentre of teen-led youth culture to the experimentation of the counterculture and beyond.
Offering an in-depth case study of the successes and failures of British youth culture in a volatile decade, The Beatles and Film is an engaging text for both scholars and general readers alike.
Book Metadata
- Author: Stephen Glynn
- Release: 2020
- Length: 116 pages
- Publisher: Routledge
The Beatles
There’s only one book that ever truly got inside the Beatles and this is it. The landmark, worldwide bestseller that has grown with the Beatles ever since. During 1967 and 1968, Hunter Davies spent eighteen months with the Beatles at the peak of their powers as they defined a generation and rewrote popular music. As their only ever authorised biographer he had unparalleled access – not just to John, Paul, George and Ringo but to friends, family and colleagues. There when it mattered, he collected a wealth of intimate and revealing material that still makes this the classic Beatles book – the one all other biographers look to. Hunter Davies remained close with the band and as such has had access to more information over the years. This 40th anniversary edition contains new material which has never been revealed before, from the author’s archives and from the Beatles themselves, that will bring new insights to their legend.
Book Metadata
- Author: Hunter Davies
- Release: 2009
- Length: 544 pages
- Publisher: Ebury
The Beatles Album by Album
A team of experts write about each era of the band’s existence, examining what they were doing for each of their original 12 UK-release albums.This informative work tells the story of the famous Liverpool musicians, from the band’s formative days in Hamburg and Liverpool to the split in 1970.
From the simple, bouncy Please Please Me to the heavyweight double Let It Be. Further chapters cover the US and foreign releases, which were significantly different in the early days.
Book Metadata
- Author: Brian Southall
- Release: 2020
- Length: 304 pages
- Publisher: Welbeck Publishing
Dreaming The Beatles
Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone columnist and best-selling author of Love Is a Mix Tape, offers an entertaining, unconventional look at the most popular band in history, the Beatles, exploring what they mean today and why they still matter so intensely to a generation that has never known a world without them.
Book Metadata
- Author: Rob Sheffield
- Release: 2017
- Length: 368 pages
- Publisher: Dey Street Books
Tune In: The Beatles: All These Years
The Beatles have been in our lives for half a century and surely always will be. Still, somehow, their music excites, their influence resonates, their fame sustains. New generations find and love them, and while many other great artists come and go, the Beatles are beyond eclipse.
Book Metadata
- Author: Mark Lewisohn
- Release: 2016
- Length: 944 pages
- Publisher: Crown
Love Me Do!
Rolling Stone magazine named this the #1 Beatles Book. It is the classic behind-the-scenes story of The Beatles first British tour. The year is 1963. ‘Love Me Do’ is The Beatles first hit single, closely followed by ‘Please Please Me,’ which reached No. 1. John, Paul, George, and Ringo celebrate their newfound success with a hectic six-week tour, briefly interrupted by a historic live appearance at the Royal Variety Performance at the London Palladium.
Book Metadata
- Author: Michael Braun
- Release: 2019
- Length: 208 pages
- Publisher: Graymalkin Media
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More Beatles Books
It’s one thing to have a book written about you, it’s next level when you have books that are directed as specific moments of time and/or niche products. The Beatles were so revolutionary that you have books dedicated to their time in films. You have other books that talk about the start of the band (and also the end). If you like a specific era of The Beatles, you can find a book deep-diving into the topic.
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More Concerts & Appearances Videos
You will read about some of The Beatles iconic momemts. Whether it’s their arrival to America and performing in sold out stadiums or on television with The Ed Sullivan Show, it’s always nice to actually watch and witness some of these events.
Australia 1964
The Beatles traveled to New Zealand and Australia in 1964 – with several of the concerts/press being mashed up in this YouTube video.
Cavern Club 1962
The Cavern Club in Liverpool, UK was the regular host of The Beatles in the early part of their career. Early footage from August 1962 is available online for our enjoyment.
"The Dick Cavett Show"
George Harrison visited with Dick Cavett in November 1971, a few years after the break-up of the group. George talked about John Lennon, LSD, and Ravi Shankar.
Documentaries
It’s possible that most of our documentaries are derived and inspired by many of the books written about The Beatles. If you perform to consume your content through the screen, these documentaries will give you a good (and sometimes detailed) look into The Beatles time as a band.
The Beatles Anthology (1995)
Nearly 30-years after The Beatles took over the music industry, we were served a three-volume documentary covering the start and end of the band. The highlight for many was the two new songs based on Lennon demo recordings.
The Compleat Beatles (1982)
Although it’s tough to compare against The Beatles Anthology, this 1982 documentary does a great job giving you a run-down of the success and shortcomings of the iconic band – all within 2-hours.
Get Back (2021)
TV Show, Movie, or Documentary – it’s tough to really define exactly what Get Back is. It’s probably a combination of all the above. We are a fly on the wall, watching The Beatles as they recorded Let It Be and it’s terrific.
Beatles Podcasts
Podcasts are not audiobooks, but some of them are darn close. If you prefer conversation between a few Beatles fans, there is a podcast for you. Some Beatles podcasts interview those related and working directly with the band. There are even podcasts that read just like a book.
Music Ranked! The Beatles
Music Ranked! creator Eric talks about his number one band: The Beatles, whom Todd (surprisingly) only truly discovered in recent years. The Hersey brothers share their thoughts, memories, and some of Eric’s research.
Compleatly Beatles
Hosts Dave and Ian go deep into each album and “time-period” of The Beatles. If you are interested in the backstory and band drama, this podcast goes deep into the specifics.
Something About The Beatles
As the name implies, this podcast series covers everything Beatles. From facts, interviews, and everything in between, if you like podcasts and like the Beatles, well…
You Might Also Like these Related Books
If you are interested in life before or after The Beatles, there are books covering the individual members. The Beatles had a great impact on many musicians. Many of these musicians pay tribute or document The Beatles’ impact in their own biographies.
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