John Lennon wrote Skywriting by Word of Mouth, an impressive collection of writings and drawings, during Yoko Ono's pregnancy with Sean, and always planned to have it published. The book's publication was a wish that seemed to end with Lennon's assassination in 1980 and the theft of the manuscript from the Lennons' home in 1982. When it was recovered and first published in 1986, Skywriting received immediate critical and popular acclaim. Filled with Lennon's extraordinary creative powers and lavishly illustrated with his own drawings, the collection reveals his fertile creative spirit up close and in full force. Included in Skywriting are "Two Virgins," written when the public learned that John and Yoko were living together as husband and wife, and John's only autobiography, "The Ballad of John and Yoko." In addition there are notes on his falling in love with Yoko, the breakup of the Beatles, his persecution by U.S. authorities, and his withdrawal from public life. This is a book with John Lennon's spirit on every page—a spirit the world needs to remember.

John Lennon's second collection of poems, stories and drawings back in print to mark its 50th Anniversary.

A lifetime of letters, collected for the first time, from the legendary musician and songwriter. John Lennon was one of the greatest songwriters the world has ever known, creator of "Help!", "Come Together", "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", "Strawberry Fields Forever", "Imagine", and dozens more. But it was in his correspondences that he let his personality and poetry flow unguarded. Now, gathered for the first time in book form, are his letters to family, friends, strangers, and lovers from every point in his life. Funny, informative, wise, poetic, and sometimes heartbreaking, his letters illuminate a never-before-seen intimate side of the private genius. This groundbreaking collection of almost 300 letters and postcards has been edited and annotated by Hunter Davies, whose authorized biography The Beatles (1968) was published to great acclaim. With unparalleled knowledge of Lennon and his contemporaries, Davies reads between the lines of the artist's words, contextualizing them in Lennon's life and using them to reveal the man himself.

A must-have volume for all Beatles fans-a career-spanning selection of writings about the Fab Four There are, of course, many books on the Beatles, but this is the only one available that is a comprehensive, career-spanning collection of journalism about the legendary band, before and after the breakup. Consisting of more than fifty articles, essays, interviews, record and movie reviews, poems, and book excerpts-many of them rare and hard to find-Read the Beatles is an unprecedented compilation that follows the arc of the Fab Four's iconic and idiosyncratic career, from their early days in Liverpool through their tragic and triumphant histories after the group's split. The book also includes original essays from noted musicians and journalists about the Beatles' lasting influence and why they still matter today.

From his childhood paintings to the song he recorded on the day he died, here is a complete catalogue of Lennon's work across many fields: songwriting, performing, drawing, painting, film, poetry, prose and conceptual art. This magnificent book also contains detailed information about all of the Lennon recording sessions as part of the Beatles, as a solo artist and with Yoko Ono. Plus a complete UK and US discography, home demo recordings, composing tapes, studio out-takes, live recordings, collaborations, and interviews. Peter Doggett's fascinating book traces the story of a unique creative adventure that ended too soon but left behind an incalculable legacy of words, images and music from a giant of rock n roll who always searched for the truth beyond the limits of his frame. Beatles Historian Peter Doggett provides the definitive guide to the imaginative work of John Lennon. This comprehensive account details a man whose life and work were indivisible. Whether it was his amusing drawings to amuse classmates, recording million-selling hits with the Beatles or making avant-garde with Yoko Ono, John Lennon never stopped being a creator and Doggett explores his vivid imagination across many different Lennon projects spanning many years and creative forms.

“Doggett’s encyclopaedic account of Sixties counter-culture is a fascinating history of pop’s relationship with politics.” —The Independent Between 1965 and 1972, political activists around the globe prepared to mount a revolution. While the Vietnam War raged, calls for black power grew louder and liberation movements erupted everywhere from Berkeley, Detroit, and Newark to Paris, Berlin, Ghana, and Peking. Rock and soul music fueled the revolutionary movement with anthems and iconic imagery. Soon the musicians themselves, from John Lennon and Bob Dylan to James Brown and Fela Kuti, were being dragged into the fray. From Mick Jagger’s legendary appearance in Grosvenor Square standing on the sidelines and snapping pictures, to the infamous incident during the Woodstock Festival when Pete Townshend kicked yippie Abbie Hoffman off the stage while he tried to make a speech about an imprisoned comrade, Peter Doggett unravels the truth about how these were not the “Street Fighting Men” they liked to see themselves as and how the increasing corporatization of the music industry played an integral role in derailing the cultural dream. There’s a Riot Going On is a fresh, definitive, and exceedingly well-researched behind-the-scenes account of this uniquely turbulent period when pop culture and politics shared the world stage with mixed results. “A fresh and near-definitive slant on a subject you might have thought had been picked clean by journalists and historians.” —Time Out London “An extraordinary book . . . Doggett emerges triumphant. Grab a copy—by any means necessary.” —Mojo

Throughout the course of his career, John Lennon's work as an artist expressed common societal themes from every epoch he witnessed. Until now, little of this work has been seen in one place. For the first time, John Lennon: The Collected Artwork offers a visually captivating history of Lennon's art, including more than 200 images and featuring 25 never-before-published pieces from the archives of Yoko Ono. Often surreal and extremely vibrant, Lennon's drawings were widely considered some of the finest interpretive art of the era. His 1969 Bag One series, frequently censored due to its overt eroticism, is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, and his peace-themed sketches have been used in antiwar movements since the 1970s. Selections from these and many other series are featured in this matchless collection, a beautiful showpiece and a timeless record of Lennon's emotional, political, and imaginative spirit.

A fascinating look at the history of the Beatles, from their formative years through the present day, as detailed in hundreds of entries chock-full of information never before shared with the public. The Beatles have sold at least 2.3 billion albums; achieved 6 Diamond, 24 Multi-Platinum, 39 Platinum, and 45 Gold albums in the United States alone; and continue to experience impressive commercial success—now more than at any other time. What is it about this iconic group which continues to draw attention from each successive generation, even more than 40 years after their disbandment? The Beatles Encyclopedia: Everything Fab Four provides casual fans and aficionados alike with a comprehensive study of the historical, cultural, and musical influence of the Beatles, providing hundreds of insightful entries that address the people, places, events, and other details that have contributed to the band's status as a global phenomena.

This volume is a comprehensive, chronologically-ordered study of every aspect of the musical life of the Beatles - composition, performance, recording and reception histories - from the group's beginnings in 1956 through to 1965.

Given the phenomenal fame and commercial success that the Beatles knew for the entire course of their familiar career, their music per se has received surprisingly little detailed attention. Not all of their cultural influence can be traced to long hair and flashy clothing; the Beatles had numerous fresh ideas about melody, harmony, counterpoint, rhythm, form, colors, and textures. Or consider how much new ground was broken by their lyrics alone--both the themes and imagery of the Beatles' poetry are key parts of what made (and still makes) this group so important, so popular, and so imitated. This book is a comprehensive chronological study of every aspect of the Fab Four's musical life--including full examinations of composition, performance practice, recording, and historical context--during their transcendent late period (1966-1970). Rich, authoritative interpretations are interwoven through a documentary study of many thousands of audio, print, and other sources.