The John Lennon Encyclopedia |
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Bill Harry
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Pages: 1008 (Paperback)
ISBN: 0753504049
Pub: Virgin Books
Pub date: 2000-07-27
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 153087
Editorial Review:
Erstwhile Apple Records assistant Tony King once commented that although John Lennon's life ended tragically early, at the age of 40, he had lived the equivalent of several normal men's lifetimes. With a brief chronology of the life in question incorporating the most famous pop band of all time, groundbreaking solo projects, and an often intriguing relationship with the artist Yoko Ono, it would be hard to disagree. One of the consequences of this fascinating life has been that Lennon is one of the most written-about men of the 20th century, whether it be in the form of classic, fact-based biography, (see Ray Coleman's excellent John Lennon 1940-80), or scandalised, rumour-based fantasy, (such as Albert Goldman's often inaccurate The Lives of John Lennon).
The 1002-page John Lennon Encyclopedia represents Bill Harry's attempts at bringing together all of the available information about this musical icon. Harry's text-only tome consists of an A-Z guide in which exhaustive details are given of Lennon's music, films, art, writings, and relationships. The author was himself a central figure in the Liverpool music scene from which the Beatles emerged, his magazine "Mersey Beat" supporting the group from their earliest days, and thus his book is excellent in dealing with this period. Several "Beatles-myths" are skilfully taken apart, (not least the oft-repeated story that the group's early bass player Stuart Sutcliffe died of a brain haemorrhage brought on by a Lennon-inspired Liverpool scuffle; he actually fell down the stairs and hit his head), in what is an entertaining and spirited account. However, as with many friends of Lennon, Harry was to find himself ostracised following the musician's marriage to Ono, and the book suffers accordingly, becoming something of a "cut-and-paste" compilation of the thousands of media articles on his subject as the story progresses.
Despite such criticisms, however, this book is truly impressive in its detail. Certainly, until the Beatles' own account is published in the form of their Anthology, Harry's enthusiastically written tale of the characters and situations involved in the group's story will not be bettered. --Steve Price
Reader Reviews:
Poorly researched "cut & paste" cash-in (3/4 people found this helpful)
What is the greatest asset of a factual book? Is it great prose? A witty writing style? No! It is facts. Therefore it is essential that such facts are accurate. As soon as one finds blatant errors, one starts to question the validity of all "facts" that are quoted.
The mere fact that this book is actually titled "Encyclopedia" would lead one to think that it is authoritive on the subject. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Not only are there blatant errors but Harry contradicts himself within a space of a couple of pages. For example under the entry for "Alexandra Palace" it states that it hosted the "Art Spectrum" between 11 to 30 August 1971 where 5 John & Yoko films were shown daily. However, just a few entries further, under the "Art Spectrum" entry. Not only is this now a one day event, but in a different month (5th September). Which is right, Mr.Harry?
The book is littered with such inaccurancies. Buy this book - not for any Beatle revelations, or even to verify dates and facts. Buy this book and play a game with yourself ... see if YOU can find such errors... I promise you it's not a hard game.
Bill Harry Does It Again (2/4 people found this helpful)
This book is incredible! It's even more informative than Bill Harry's phenomenal book, "The Beatles Encyclopedia". There are long biographical entries for each member of the Beatles, and 23 pages on the life of Stuart Sutcliffe. In addition, every nuance of John's Beatle and solo years is examined. Mr. Harry's eyewitness accounts are revelatory, and go a long way to dismiss misinformation about the Beatles early history. A must have for every Beatle fan.
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Categories
Amazon.co.uk places this book into the following categories:
Books -> Subjects -> Music, Stage & Screen -> Music -> Styles -> Rock & Pop -> Styles -> Bestsellers
Books -> Subjects -> Music, Stage & Screen -> Music -> Scores, Songbooks & Lyrics -> Rock & Pop
Books -> Subjects -> Music, Stage & Screen -> Music -> Encyclopaedias
Books -> Subjects -> Music, Stage & Screen -> Film -> Encyclopaedias
Books -> Subjects -> Music, Stage & Screen -> Television -> Encyclopaedias
Books -> Subjects -> Biography -> General
Books -> Subjects -> Biography -> Film, Television & Music -> Music -> Rock & Pop
Books -> Refinements -> Language (feature_browse-bin) -> English
Books -> Refinements -> Age (feature_two_browse-bin)
Books -> Refinements -> Format (binding_browse-bin) -> Paperback