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The Beatles: The Authorised Biography [Paperback]

Hunter Davies (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
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Book Description

Publication Date: 7 May 2009

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.

Frequently Bought Together

The Beatles: The Authorised Biography + Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties + You Never Give Me Your Money: The Battle For The Soul Of The Beatles
Price For All Three: £22.16

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Product details

  • Paperback: 544 pages
  • Publisher: Ebury Press (7 May 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0091930510
  • ISBN-13: 978-0091930516
  • Product Dimensions: 12.7 x 4 x 19.7 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 13,569 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Review

"A document of our century" (Marshall McLuhan )

Book Description

Utterly classic (and only authorised) biography of the Fab Four
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Inside This Book (Learn More)
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

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4.8 out of 5 stars
16 reviews
4.8 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 38 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Absorbing Beatles story from a 1968 view 4 Sep 2009
By Mike Quinn
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a 2009 update on Hunter Davies' original tome from 1968. By update, I mean that he has included the 1985 postscript and has now added some text from this year. These extra entries are a perfect complement to the 1968 book, which is reproduced as the main part of the book.

The story itself is utterly compelling even to long-standing Beatles fans like myself. I cannot read too much about this wonderful band even if I already know some of the facts. I say "some" because there is always something new to learn about them as you will find in this book. The author tells the story beautifully and breaks the chapters down into different segments (e.g. a chapter on each of the fab four and chapters on Hamburg, Beatlemania, The End Of Touring etc.). There is a certain chronology to the book without becoming the usual month-by-month tale.

I found it difficult to put this book down. Hunter Davies' style is crisp, witty but factual and lets family and friends do the 'talking' when necessary. I had an eerie feeling whilst reading this, especially the 1967/68 years when the breakup of marriages and indeed the band itself had yet to come. A great book for anyone who wishes to read the story about The Beatles, a marvellous one for fans like myself.
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic 13 Jan 2010
By John Woodcock VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
This was the first book about the Beatles that I read and I would highly recommend it to anyone just starting out in the world of the Beatles. In fact I think that if you read this, then Revolution In The Head and finally You Never Give Me Your Money, in that order, you will have a good all round Beatle education; something that every music fan should aspire to!
By all means buy other books about the Beatles (I have bought tons over the years) but you don't NEED anymore than these three (IMHO).
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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars An updated edition! 6 July 2009
By R. E. Sheehan
Format:Paperback
I am only reviewing this book to address the 1 star given by the only other reviewer as of July 2009. The previous reviewer seemed to be complaining about Amazon's lack of information about whether the book is a reprint rather than the book itself.

Hunter Davies' was the authorised biography and this is an updated edition of that biography. It is a hugely enjoyable read and much of the content of other books on the fabs is taken from here.

It thoroughly deserves the 5 stars and is highly recommended.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The True History of The Beatles! 29 Jan 2011
By Mr. J. Farmery
Format:Paperback
Anyone who either lived through the sixties or loves the Beatles will adore this fabulous book by Hunter Davis. It is a real page-turner.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A day in the life 29 Dec 2010
By Rock digger
Format:Kindle Edition
I love the beatles and always have and this book has given me even more information on them from before they picked up an instrument and played a tune and so far I've only read a sample and can't wait to read the rest.
From Harry
12 year old
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Life of The Beatles 12 Feb 2010
By Mr. R. STANSON
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
If you like your info on the group to be true and very intersting, this update is a must read.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A useful insight into the fab four 12 July 2011
By LXIX TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Hunter Davies, a Sunday Times journalist and originally from Scotland, was given exclusive access in the late 60's to put together the first official and authorised Beatles biography. His terms of reference had two main implications - on the positive side it was jam packed with anecdotal details (e.g. the Beatles got lost near Wolverhampton during the 10 hour drive to London for the Decca audition on New Year's Eve 1961; Pete Best (unsurprisingly) never turned up for the Chester gig after being dismissed that afternoon on 15 August 1962 etc); however, on the downside, due to the need for a myriad of approvals before publication, some of the book feels like it has been written by committee - this is manifest in sections where short sharp sentences dominate, and, of course, in the lack of opinionated analysis.

I was also left wondering if it was all 100% fact or if any urban legends had perhaps slipped through the net ... for example, did a "Raymond Jones" really walk into Brian Epstein's record store in 1961 and ask for a copy of "My Bonnie"? This may be a minor and irrelevant point, but Alistair Taylor, an assistant of Brian Epstein, is quoted in The Brian Epstein Story as saying that "The legend has it that a lad named Raymond Jones walked into the shop and asked for 'My Bonnie' by the Beatles and that Brian put his name in the book and that's how we found the Beatles. What in fact happened was that I got fed up with youngsters coming in asking for the Beatles record. So I put in a name, Raymond Jones, in the order book. I just made it up." Interesting!... Read more ›
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Great read 24 May 2011
By Mark Shutleworth
Format:Paperback
I've read The Glory Game by Hunter Davies. This is just as good. Great value for money - and a terrific insight in to The Beatles by someone who was with them at the time, even taking holidays with them whilst compiling this authorised biography. From pre Hamburg to their rise to fame, the family and people that shaped them right through to the late 60's.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Very good
As a huge fan, this is the best book I have read about the greatest band of all time.
You can tell that the author spend a lot of time with the four!
Published 25 days ago by Rorymchugh
4.0 out of 5 stars Fab
Good when it was first published and still extremely interesting especially with the modern updates. Read more
Published 1 month ago by M. S. Gilbert
4.0 out of 5 stars good book
bought as a gift, the guy loves it, he would have liked perhaps more photographs, but is engrossed heavily in reading the book
Published 5 months ago by Paul A. Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars The original and the best
I'm sure Hunter Davies couldn't really have envisaged how long this book would be in print. There are better written books about the Beatles available but none have the... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Mr. N. A. Sherreard
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating insight
This book transports you back to the formative years of the Beatles and provides a level of detail such that you really feel you know what made them tick. Read more
Published 9 months ago by tat65
5.0 out of 5 stars The beatles side of the story
Good read for anyone interested in the Beatles, obviously! My only gripe is that there seems to be no sordid moments. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Jay
5.0 out of 5 stars Fab for Fab-Four fans!
This is the only `official authorised biography' of the Beatles and, as such, has some wonderful advantages over other studies. Read more
Published 14 months ago by J. P. Ryder
5.0 out of 5 stars The Beatles: the Authorised Biography
This book is a must have for those people who like The Beatles - young or old. It is a classic
Published 16 months ago by Alf
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