For many years I have been a huge fan of The Beatles. I have seen Paul McCartney live in concert several times, enjoyed cover bands, collected albums in multiple formats (my favorite being vinyl), and also read books about the Fab Four. There are MANY great books about The Beatles that can be enjoyed but here are four of my favorites (at least at the time of writing this).
The Beatles Anthology – by The Beatles
The Beatles Anthology is awesome. It is as close as we’ll ever get to an autobiography of the band. It is a book about The Beatles that is told by The Beatles. There is a LOT in this book and it is very easy to get lost in this book for hours on end. I did sit down and read straight through it once but after that, have enjoyed picking it up and reading it for an hour here or an hour there.
This book is chocked full of details, photos, and stories from The Beatles and those that were around them. If you are going to buy only one book about The Beatles, this might be it.
Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now – Barry Miles
Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now is a biography of Paul McCartney that gives another perspective on the history of The Beatles. This book is definitely pro-Paul and also has some different opinions on history than other accounts. However, it definitely gives a unique and special look at The Beatles. Paul clearly was quite invested in this book and if one didn’t know better, it could almost be an autobiography that was co-written between McCartney and author Barry Miles. I found this book to be completely enjoyable and have re-read it a couple of times.
The Beatles – by Bob Spitz
The Beatles is a biography about the Beatles that probably is one of the best out there. It is wonderfully detailed, fun to read, and gives a look at The Beatles the way they were… not the mythical band that they sometimes become in different variations of their story. This book is one of my favorites and seems to be about as unbiased as I could find. There is a LOT to get through in this book but it is worth it. It is a very enjoyable, albeit long, read. It is a great companion book to The Beatles Anthology in any library for a fan of The Beatles.
The Beatles: The Authorised Biography – Hunter Davies
The Beatles: The Authorised Biography is the only authorized biography of The Beatles that was written during their career. It tells the story of The Beatles from the beginning up until about two years before their end. What started out as a meeting about a newspaper article, eventually led to the creation of this book. This book is a very accurate look at The Beatles story, with quite a few details missing. Because it is an authorized biography, it does gloss over some of the less savory parts of The Beatles story. This is a very good book, but like some books about Walt Disney, it seeks to show the good and minimize the bad. It is definitely worth adding to the library.
There are many books about The Beatles that could be added to this list… or this list could just get really long. However, these are four books about The Beatles that I have enjoyed for years. They give insight into the Fab Four and also are enjoyable to read. These are the ones I find myself returning to more frequently than others. They are of course best enjoyed while listening to your favorite album by The Beatles and all of them provide their own unique perspective and insight on the band.
I’d love to hear what you think about these books if you read them. Which one is your favorite? Is there another one you like better? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments with me below! Let’s geek out about The Beatles together!
