40th anniversary of John Lennon’s death: The books on The Beatles you should read

This is widely regarded as one of the best books to document the life and legacy of Lennon. The product of extensive research and exclusive interviews, it features previously unseen footage and explores the pain, frustrations and interests that shaped one of music’s greatest legends. With more than 800 pages, this is a long read, but it is likely to provide you with great insight, thanks to the depths Norman delves into. 

This dynamic and revisionist examination of The Beatles and their legacy takes a look back at them, 50 years after their split. Standing out in a crowded market, Brown visits fan festivals across the world to better understand the magnitude The Beatles had. We think this would make a great stocking filler for any Beatlemaniac. 

First published 11 years after The Beatles split, and more importantly, a year after Lennon’s death, Shout chronicles the rock bands history in painstaking detail. While author and journalist Norman didn’t receive direct input from the four, his research and first-person interviews provide more than enough detail. A thorough and entertaining account that will help you learn more about the quartet’s mercurial output in the Sixties. 

The late Ian MacDonald is considered by many as the most well-informed music writers. In this enthralling anthology, every song by the band is analysed, with MacDonald’s essays providing a poignant summary of the cultural sea of change The Beatles helped to create.   

Published when Beatlemania was beginning to fade, this tome is the ultimate guide to understanding what The Beatles were like during their heyday. As Lennon wrote himself “He wrote how we were, which was bastards”. American writer and journalist Braun reports the sensation around the band with fond objectivity, shining light on their flaws and sudden successes. 

Many books that document The Beatles attempt to capture the quartet during the confines of the Sixties. But, in this book Sheffield flips this concept on its head, attempting to interpret what they meant as an evolving cultural phenomenon during the decades after their split.