“What are the best books about The Beatles?” We looked at 123 of the top Beatles books, aggregating and ranking them so we could answer that very question!

The top 27 books, all appearing on 3 or more “Best Beatles” book lists, are ranked below by how many times they appear. The remaining 75+ titles, as well as the sources we used, are in alphabetical orser ont he bottom of the page.

Happy Scrolling!

Top 27 Best Books About The Beatles

27 .) All You Need Is Ears by George Martin

Lists It Appears On:

• Barnes & Noble
• The Guardian
• About Great Books

“All You Need Is Ears is the story of George Martin, the man who spotted the Beatles’ talent, who recorded and produced them from the start, and who brought their musical ideas to life. In this witty and charming autobiography, he describes exactly what it was like to work in the studio with the Beatles–from the first audition (and his decision to scrap Pete Best on drums) to the wild experimentation of Sgt. Pepper (complete with sound effects, animal noises and full orchestras in evening dress at the direct request of Paul McCartney).

This is a singular look at the most important musical group of all time, and how they made the music that changed the world: No other book can provide George Martin’s inside look at their creative process, at the play of genius and practical improvisation that gave them their sound; it is an indispensable read for Beatle lovers and anyone interested in the music world.”

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26 .) Beatles Gear: All the Fab Four’s Instruments, from Stage to Studio by Andy Babiuk

Lists It Appears On:

• Beatles Daily
• Thought Co.
• Goodreads

This landmark book details exactly which guitars, drums, amplifiers and keyboards The Beatles used at the key points of their relatively brief but entirely revolutionary career – from the formation of the Quarry Men in the 1950s to the dissolution of The Beatles in 1970. It provides a fascinating fresh insight into Beatles history from an entirely new viewpoint, and along the way many myths are exploded and dozens of stories told for the first time.

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25 .) Can’t Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain, and America by Jonathan Gould

Lists It Appears On:

• Goodreads
• Every Record Tells A Story
• About Great Books

“Beginning with their adolescence in Liverpool, Gould describes the seminal influences––from Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry to The Goon Show and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland––that shaped the Beatles both as individuals and as a group. In addition to chronicling their growth as singers, songwriters, and instrumentalists, he highlights the advances in recording technology that made their sound both possible and unique, as well as the developments in television and radio that lent an explosive force to their popular success. With a musician’s ear, Gould sensitively evokes the timeless appeal of the Lennon-McCartney collaboration and their emergence as one of the most creative and significant songwriting teams in history.

Behind the scenes Gould explores the pivotal roles played by manager Brian Epstein and producer George Martin, credits the influence on the Beatles’ music of contemporaries like Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, and Ravi Shankar, and traces the gradual escalation of the fractious internal rivalries that led to the group’s breakup after their final masterpiece, Abbey Road. Most significantly, by chronicling their revolutionary impact on popular culture during the 1960s, Can’t Buy Me Love illuminates the Beatles as a charismatic phenomenon of international proportions, whose anarchic energy and unexpected import was derived from the historic shifts in fortune that transformed the relationship between Britain and America in the decades after World War II. “

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24 .) I, Me, Mine by George Harrison

Lists It Appears On:

• Oregon Live
• About Great Books
• Goodreads

“Cherished by fans and collectors, I Me Mine is the closest we will ever come to George Harrison’s autobiography. This new edition has been significantly developed since the 1980 original; now printed in color, and with previously unseen archive material, the book covers the full span of George Harrison’s life and work.

Featuring George Harrison in conversation with Derek Taylor, I Me Mine delves into everything from Harrison’s upbringing in Liverpool and the growth of early Beatlemania, to his love of India, gardening and racing cars. With over fifty archival photos, Harrison’s words, and his song lyrics, this book offers an insight into the musician’s life, work and philosophy. I Me Mine: The Extended Edition presents the lyrics to 141 George Harrison songs, with handwritten lyrics beautifully reproduced in facsimile, accompanied by Harrison’s uniquely intimate and humorous commentary. This edition has been expanded to include 59 new songs; as well as tracks written for The Beatles, it also contains lyrics from Harrison’s solo career, including his albums All Things Must Pass and Brainwashed.”

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23 .) In His Own Write by John Lennon

Lists It Appears On:

• #Am Reading
• BookRiot
• Goodreads

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22 .) Revolver: How The Beatles Reimagined Rock ‘n’ Roll by Robert Rodriguez

Lists It Appears On:

• Beatles Bible
• About Great Books
• Beatles Daily

Acquired wisdom has always put Sgt. Pepper at the head of the class, but it was Revolver that truly signaled The Beatles’ sea change from a functional band to a studio-based ensemble. These changes began before Rubber Soul but came to fruition on Revolver , which took an astonishing 300 hours to produce, far more than any rock record before it. The making of Revolver hunkered down in Abbey Road with George Martin is in itself a great Beatles story, but would be nothing if the results weren’t so impactful. More than even Sgt. Pepper and Pet Sounds , Revolver fed directly into the rock ‘n’ roll zeitgeist, and its influence could be heard everywhere: from the psychedelic San Francisco sound (Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead); to the first wave of post-blues hard rock (Sabbath, Zeppelin); through movie soundtracks and pretty much everything that followed it including every generation of guitar-based pop music and even heavy metal. More than any record before or after, Revolver was the game-changer, and this is, finally, the detailed telling of its storied recording and enormous impact.

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21 .) The Beatles: The Authorized Biography by Hunter Davies

Lists It Appears On:

• #Am Reading
• Every Record Tells A Story
• Rolling Stone

Hunter Davies lived on intimate terms with the Beatles for more than a year, and they told him things about themselves that have never been revealed before Here is their story, filled with the drive, the exultation, the worldwide frenzy, the marriages, the love affairs, the drugs and the authentic Liverpool beat…

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20 .) The Longest Cocktail Party by Richard DiLello

Lists It Appears On:

• Beatles Daily
• Every Record Tells A Story
• The Guardian

Apple Records was a noble experiment created in the spirit of the 1960s by four musicians who came to represent everything that was best about those tumultuous, experimental, and liberating times. The Beatles started out with the greatest of intentions, but reality soon got in the way. Much has been written about this period in the history of The Beatles’ evolution and dissolution—some of it true, some of it wildly exaggerated, but not much of it first-hand. The Longest Cocktail Party is a rare exception. Written by Richard DiLello, who served as Apple Record’s “House Hippie” from 1968 to 1970, this unusual first-hand glimpse into The Beatles’ empire humorously chronicles the stranger-than-life stories that were to become legendary, including visits by the Hell’s Angels and endless tales of celebrity antics. Alfred Music is proud to offer this latest edition, which features a new and insightful foreword by the author.

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19 .) The Man Who Gave the Beatles Away by Allan Williams

Lists It Appears On:

• Beatles Daily
• Rolling Stone
• The Guardian

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18 .) You Never Give Me Your Money by Peter Doggett

Lists It Appears On:

• Every Record Tells A Story
• The Telegraph
• About Great Books

Acclaimed journalist Peter Doggett recounts the previously untold story of the dramatic final chapter in the lives, loves, and legal battles of John, Paul, George, and Ringo—aka The Beatles—from their breakup in 1969 to the present day.

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17 .) A Cellarful of Noise by Brian Epstein

Lists It Appears On:

• BookRiot
• Every Record Tells A Story
• About Great Books
• Barnes & Noble

The late author’s long-out-of-print autobiography details his shepherding of the Beatles from obscurity in 1961 to international fame in 1967 as their manager and confidant, revealing hundreds of little-known facts about the Fab Four.

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16 .) John by Cynthia Lennon

Lists It Appears On:

• About Great Books
• BookRiot
• Every Record Tells A Story
• Goodreads

The time has come when I feel ready to tell the truth about John and me, our years together and the years since his death. There is so much that I have never said, so many incidents I have never spoken of and so many feelings I have never expressed: great love on one hand; pain, torment, and humiliation on the other. Only I know what really happened between us, why we stayed together, why we parted, and the price I have paid for being John’s wife.

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15 .) Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now by Barry Miles

Lists It Appears On:

• About Great Books
• Beatles Daily
• Goodreads
• The Guardian

During the past year Paul McCartney has been in the public’s eye more than at any time since the peak of Beatlemania over thirty years ago. His fans have been treated to the best-selling Flaming Pie and Standing Stone albums, a full hour of Paul on “Oprah,” and this thoughtful and comprehensive biography that brings us closer to the man than ever before. Based on hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews over a period of five years, and with complete access to Paul’s own archives, Barry Miles has succeeded in letting Paul tell the story of his life as a Beatle in his own words. It includes Paul’s recollection of the genesis of every song that he wrote with John Lennon and the fascinating details about their remarkable collaboration.

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14 .) The Beatles by Hunter Davies

Lists It Appears On:

• About Great Books
• Beatles Daily
• Goodreads
• The Telegraph

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 authorized biographer, he had unparalleled access―not just to John, Paul, George, and Ringo but also to friends, family, and colleagues. Davies collected a wealth of intimate and revealing material that still makes this the classic Beatles book―the one all other biographers look to. He remained close with the band and had access to more information over the years. This edition brings the story up-to-date with new material on the Beatles’s solo careers and lives, as well as the stories of many other people who appear in the book. Drawing on new material from the author’s archives and from the Beatles themselves, including a newly discovered song lyric by George Harrison, this edition brings new insights to the Beatles legend.

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13 .) The Beatles: The Biography by Bob Spitz

Lists It Appears On:

• About Great Books
• BookRiot
• Every Record Tells A Story
• Goodreads

As soon as The Beatles became famous, the spin machine began to construct a myth–one that has continued to this day. But the truth is much more interesting, much more exciting, and much more moving. In this bestselling book, Bob Spitz has written the biography for which Beatles fans have long waited.

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12 .) A Hard Day’s Write by Steve Turner

Lists It Appears On:

• Thought Co.
• #Am Reading
• Every Record Tells A Story
• Beatles Daily
• About Great Books

“Who was “”just seventeen”” and made Paul’s heart go “”boom””? Was there really an Eleanor Rigby? Where’s Penny Lane? In A Hard Day’s Write, music journalist Steve Turner shatters many well-worn myths and adds a new dimension to the Fab Four’s rich legacy by investigating for the first time the ordinary people and events immortalized in the Beatles’ music and now occupying a special niche in popular culture’s collective imagination.

Arranged chronologically by album, the book breaks new ground by exploring how private incidents influenced the group’s writing and how their music evolved. Turner reveals that Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was really a drawing by Julian Lennon of his childhood friend; Bungalow Bill was an all-American tiger hunter; Doctor Robert was a New York ‘speech doctor’; and much more. A longtime Beatles admirer, Turner tracked down and interviewed the real-life subjects of the songs, probed public records and newspaper archives, and spoke in depth to the people closet to the Beatles to unearth tales that have never before been made public. The result is a book that chronicles an untold story of the Beatles themselves.”

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11 .) All The Songs: The Story Behind Every Beatles Release by Philippe Margotin

Lists It Appears On:

• Barnes & Noble
• Thought Co.
• Oregon Live
• About Great Books
• Goodreads

“All the Songs delves deep into the history and origins of the Beatles and their music. This first-of-its-kind book draws upon decades of research, as music historians Margotin and Guesdon recount the circumstances that led to the composition of every song, the recording process, and the instruments used.
Here, we learn that one of John Lennon’s favorite guitars was a 1958 Rickenbacker 325 Capri, which he bought for £100 in 1960 in Hamburg, Germany. We also learn that “”Love Me Do,”” recorded in Abbey Road Studios in September 1962, took 18 takes to get right, even though it was one of the first songs John and Paul ever wrote together. And the authors reveal that when the Beatles performed “”I Want to Hold Your Hand”” on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, John’s microphone wasn’t turned on, so viewers heard only Paul singing.
The hundreds of photographs throughout the book include rare black-and-white publicity stills, images of Beatles instruments, and engaging shots of the musicians in-studio.”

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10 .) Lennon Remembers by Jann Wenner

Lists It Appears On:

• About Great Books
• Barnes & Noble
• Every Record Tells A Story
• Rolling Stone
• The Guardian

Initially published on the twentieth anniversary of his death, this candid book reveals new information on the breakup of the Beatles, fellow musicians such as Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones, Lennon’s attitudes towards revolution and drugs, and his relationship with Yoko Ono. Featuring new introductions by Ono and Wenner, and containing substantial material never before seen in print, Lennon Rememberspresents a compelling portrait of a complex musical genius at the height of his career. Sometimes anguished and angry, often tender and poignant, these interviews are indispensable to understanding who John Lennon was and why his legacy continues to resonate today.

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9 .) Love Me Do: The Beatles’ Progress by Michael Braun

Lists It Appears On:

• Every Record Tells A Story
• Beatles Daily
• The Guardian
• The Telegraph
• Rolling Stone

The year is 1963 and “Love Me Do” is the Beatles’ first number one hit, closely followed by “Please Please Me”. John, Paul, George and Ringo celebrate their new found success with a hectic six-week tour, briefly interrupted by an historic live appearance at the “Royal Variety Performance” at the London Palladium. This is the beginning of “Beatlemania” and American writer, Mike Braun, is there to chronicle events and watch as the drama unfolds. A year later, The Beatles are the world’s biggest pop group. This book details what really happened in those first magic weeks.

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8 .) Magical Mystery Tours: My Life With The Beatles by Tony Bramwell

Lists It Appears On:

• About Great Books
• Every Record Tells A Story
• Goodreads
• The Guardian
• The Telegraph

“Growing up in a postwar Liverpool suburb, Tony Bramwell was boyhood friends with three of the Beatles long before they were famous. And by the time he caught up with George Harrison on the top of a bus to check out “”The Beatles, direct from Hamburg””—one of which George turned out to be—Tony was well into a life story absolutely unlike any other.
Tony carried George’s guitar that night, and he stayed with the band from the first Number 1 to the last. From overseeing the tours of Brian Epstein’s Merseybeat stars to producing shows for Jimi Hendrix, the Who, Cream, and Pink Floyd at Epstein’s Savile Theatre; and from producing and directing Beatles videos to heading Apple Films, Tony’s life really did encompass a who’s who of rock.
With an insider’s shrewd eye, Tony describes the rise and fall of the Apple empire, Brian Epstein’s frolics, Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters, Phil Spector’s eccentric behavior, and stories never before told about Yoko Ono. He uncovers new information about the Shea Stadium concert footage, John Lennon’s late-night “”escapes,”” and more. From the Cavern Club to the rooftop concert, and from scraps of song lyrics to the discovery of the famous Mr. Kite circus poster, Tony Bramwell really did see it all.
It’s a story in which every character is one of the musical 1960s most colorful. Conversational, direct, and honest, the ultimate Beatles insider finally shares his own version of the frantic and glorious ascent of four boys from Liverpool lads to rock and roll kings.”

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7 .) The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions by Mark Lewisohn

Lists It Appears On:

• Beatles Daily
• Rolling Stone
• Thought Co.
• #Am Reading
• About Great Books

One of the most important and successful rock ‘n’ roll books ever published is now available in paperback. This is the definitive guide to every recording session done by the Beatles at EMI’s Abbey Road recording studio. 150 full-color, 100 duotone, and 100 black-and-white photographs.

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6 .) The Love You Make: An Insider’s Story of The Beatles by Peter Brown

Lists It Appears On:

• Oregon Live
• Rolling Stone
• About Great Books
• Every Record Tells A Story
• Beatles Daily

Here is the national bestseller that Newsday called “the most authoritative and candid look yet at the personal lives…of the oft-scrutinized group.” In The Love You Make, Peter Brown, a close friend of and business manager for the band—and the best man at John and Yoko’s wedding—presents a complete look at the dramatic offstage odyssey of the four lads from Liverpool who established the greatest music phenomenon of the twentieth century. Written with the full cooperation of each of the group’s members and their intimates, this book tells the inside story of the music and the madness, the feuds and the drugs, the marriages and the affairs—from the greatest heights to the self-destructive depths of the Fab Four.

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5 .) Revolution In The Head: The Beatles Records and the Sixties by Ian Macdonald

Lists It Appears On:

• Beatles Daily
• Every Record Tells A Story
• Rolling Stone
• Goodreads
• About Great Books
• The Telegraph

This “Bible of the Beatles” captures the iconic band’s magical and mysterious journey from adorable teenagers to revered cultural emissaries. In this fully updated version, each of their 241 tracks is assessed chronologically from their first amateur recordings in 1957 to their final “reunion” recording in 1995. It also incorporates new information from the Anthology series and recent interviews with Paul McCartney. This comprehensive guide offers fascinating details about the Beatles’ lives, music, and era, never losing sight of what made the band so important, unique, and enjoyable.

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4 .) Tune In: The Beatles: All These Years by Mark Lewisohn

Lists It Appears On:

• #Am Reading
• Every Record Tells A Story
• Goodreads
• About Great Books
• Beatles Daily
• Oregon Live

Ten years in the making, Tune In takes the Beatles from before their childhoods through the final hour of 1962—when, with breakthrough success just days away, they stand on the cusp of a whole new kind of fame and celebrity. They’ve one hit record (“Love Me Do”) behind them and the next (“Please Please Me”) primed for release, their first album session is booked, and America is clear on the horizon. This is the lesser-known Beatles story—the pre-Fab years of Liverpool and Hamburg—and in many respects the most absorbing and incredible period of them all. Here is the complete and true account of their family lives, childhoods, teenage years and their infatuation with American music, here is the riveting narrative of their unforgettable days and nights in the Cavern Club, their laughs, larks and adventures when they could move about freely, before fame closed in.

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3 .) Here There and Everywhere: My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles by Geoff Emerick

Lists It Appears On:

• About Great Books
• Beatles Daily
• Barnes & Noble
• Every Record Tells A Story
• Rolling Stone
• Goodreads
• Oregon Live

Geoff Emerick became an assistant engineer at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in 1962 at age fifteen, and was present as a new band called the Beatles recorded their first songs. He later worked with the Beatles as they recorded their singles “She Loves You” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” the songs that would propel them to international superstardom. In 1964 he would witness the transformation of this young and playful group from Liverpool into professional, polished musicians as they put to tape classic songs such as “Eight Days A Week” and “I Feel Fine.”

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2 .) Shout!: The Beatles in Their Generation by Philip Norman

Lists It Appears On:

• #Am Reading
• Barnes & Noble
• Every Record Tells A Story
• About Great Books
• Goodreads
• Beatles Daily
• BookRiot
• Rolling Stone

Philip Norman’s biography of the Beatles is the definitive work on the world’s most influential band—a beautifully written account of their lives, their music, and their times. Now brought completely up to date, this epic tale charts the rise of four scruffy Liverpool lads from their wild, often comical early days to the astonishing heights of Beatlemania, from the chaos of Apple and the collapse of hippy idealism to the band’s acrimonious split. It also describes their struggle to escape the smothering Beatles’ legacy and the tragic deaths of John Lennon and George Harrison. Witty, insightful, and moving, Shout! is essential reading not just for Beatles fans but for anyone with an interest in pop music.

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1 .) The Beatles Anthology by The Beatles

Lists It Appears On:

• Thought Co.
• #Am Reading
• About Great Books
• Barnes & Noble
• Beatles Daily
• Goodreads
• Oregon Live
• Every Record Tells A Story

The international best-seller is now in paperback! From their years growing up in Liverpool through their ride to fame to their ultimate breakup, heres the inside story. Interwoven with The Beatles own memories are the recollections of such associates as road manager Neil Aspinall, producer George Martin, and spokesman Derek Taylor. The Beatles Anthology is a once-in-a-lifetime volume: warm, frank, funny, poignant, and bold-just like the music thats been a part of so many of our lives. The Beatles Anthology is, for the first time, the story of The Beatles by The Beatles. Created with the full cooperation of Paul, George, Ringo, and Yoko Ono Lennon, it also includes the words of John, painstakingly compiled from sources worldwide.

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The 75+ Additional Best Beatles Books

13 Best Beatles Band Book Sources/Lists