A Day in the Life: 11 Fab Books About The Beatles

At the heart of The Beatles was a profound creative bond. John Lennon and Paul McCartney first met in 1957 and shared a musical partnership and personal connection that spanned over 20 years. In John & Paul, acclaimed journalist Ian Leslie tells their story through the music they made. Complex and ever-evolving, the relationship between Lennon and McCartney went deeper than The Beatles, and Leslie offers fans a fresh and insightful look into two of music’s most influential minds. “John & Paul is a bold, original, empathetic revelation of why our world is still fascinated by this friendship ― and still trying to live up to it” (Rob Sheffield, author of Dreaming the Beatles).

Fifteen-year-old Geoff Emerick was working as an assistant engineer at Abbey Road Studios in 1962, just in time to catch the rising wave of The Beatles. By the age of 19, he was the band’s chief engineer. In Here, There, and Everywhere, Emerick shares his firsthand experience creating some of music’s most iconic records, along with insight into the band’s creative process and behind-the-scenes dynamics.

Hailed as the definitive biography of The Beatles, Bob Spitz’s book weaves together a rich narrative of the lives and careers of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. A moving story of their ups and downs and the legacy of their music, The Beatles is a must-read not just for Fab Four fans but for anyone interested in the history of music.

Spanning their prefame recordings in 1957 to their Anthology “reunion” recorded in 1995, Revolution in the Head is a comprehensive breakdown of The Beatles’ musical body of work. Author Ian MacDonald moves through the band’s catalog in chronological order, detailing the story behind 241 different tracks alongside the group’s history and cultural impact.

We’re more than a half century out from when The Beatles released their debut single, “Love Me Do,” in 1962, and the world continues to fall in love with their music. In Dreaming the Beatles, Rob Sheffield delves into the group’s lasting cultural impact and the eternal appeal of their music. Told through a series of essays, Sheffield tracks the ever-deepening love for The Beatles, explores what the group means to the world today, and details the many ways their music continues to resonate with new generations of listeners.

In the decade they were together, The Beatles played to thousands of adoring fans and released chart-topping records that continue to sell more than 50 years after their breakup. But their split wasn’t the last page of the story. Journalist Peter Doggett chronicles the end of the Beatles and the personal dramas that unfolded for the band members in the wake of their breakup.

The first in Mark Lewisohn’s multivolume Beatles history, Tune In covers the early years of the iconic group. Before the fame, the adoring fans, and the chart-topping songs, The Beatles were just four teenagers putting together a band in Liverpool. With excellent research and resources, Lewisohn narrates the story of how they came together and started making history.

Written by Paul McCartney, The Lyrics offers a striking glimpse into the songwriter’s creative life, detailing what has inspired him over the course of his 64 years of making music. In this New York Times bestseller, McCartney shares the stories behind the songs, from the early music he made in Liverpool to his Beatles era and on through his solo career. Enriching the retrospective are more than 160 photos from McCartney’s personal collection.

George Harrison stands as one of the greatest musical minds of his generation. And yet, during The Beatles’ heyday, he was viewed as a reserved and somewhat mysterious member of the group, quietly performing in Lennon and McCartney’s outsized shadow. In George Harrison, bestselling author and Beatles afficionado Philip Norman gives Harrison the spotlight he so thoroughly deserves, chronicling the so-called Quiet Beatle’s life and journey, his career, and his many relationships. When you’ve finished reading it, be sure to seek out Norman’s equally excellent biographies of Lennon (John Lennon: The Life), McCartney (Paul McCartney: The Life), and the band (Shout! The Beatles in Their Generation).

Cynthia Lennon offers a candid portrait of her former husband, John Lennon, in this open and intimate biography. A reminiscence of their relationship, a consideration of the man John was, and a reckoning with the lasting effects of being his wife, John: A Biography is a unique and nuanced perspective on one of music’s biggest names.

Ringo Starr’s distinctive deep-pocket playing style was essential to The Beatles’ sound, infusing their music with an infectious magic groove. In Ringo, Michael Seth Starr (no relation) chronicles the life of the legendary drummer. From Starr’s hardscrabble childhood and his whirlwind success on the stage to his struggles with addiction and resurgence as the leader of an all-star touring act, it’s all covered in this in-depth biography.