It's certainly true that what you collect tells a lot about you. In the case of "Beatles Memorabilia: The Julian Lennon Collection," though, it's a lot more.
As Lennon points out in the foreward to the book, he didn't inherit any of his collection when his father was murdered in 1980. He'd already had a couple of things his father had given to him, but otherwise most of the items he has he's had to buy at auction, though a few were given to him by friends such as Paul McCartney and May Pang.
In itself, the fact he's had to buy pieces of his past is sad. But from what's shown in the book, what he's been able to accumulate since is heartwarming. There's a life insurance policy his father bought in 1962. There are autographs, gold records, a Beatles record player, the Grammy Award for "A Hard Day's Night," sketches by his father, promotional discs for Beatles releases, acetates (one for "All You Need Is Love", another for "Michelle") and "Yellow Submarine" artwork.
And, of course, pictures. One features a very young Julian in his dad's arms. There are some wonderful priceless early photos of his dad on stage in his late teens or early 20s. Another set of four features Julian and his dad on the set of "Magical Mystery Tour." Another features Julian hanging on for what looks like dear life as his father takes them for a ride on his "monkey bike," which he says is one of his "most treasured pieces."
As the song goes, it's been a long and winding road. And the book, co-written with Brian Southall ("Abbey Road," "Northern Songs: The Story of the Beatles' Music Publishing"), is a wonderfully intimate look at the journey from Julian Lennon's unique perspective.
There are many book collections of Beatle memorabilia, but this one is different. It's personal.
And that's what makes this one special.
(Note: The book is available directly through Amazon.co.uk and from third-party sellers on Amazon.com. It won't be published in the U.S. until next year.)
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Comments
The gracious and generous Yoko Ono gave him stuff didn't she? HA HA HA HA!
It's sad he had to buy stuff at auction. It's fortunate he had the finances to do so otherwise things would have been lost to him.
I agree that it is indeed sad Julian had to purchase mementos of his own father. Couldn't Yoko see her way clear to part with things from his own father? Pretty tacky on her part and a real lack of character, which I think we already knew.
My copy of this book arrived yesterday and it's absolutely gorgeous! You can tell a lot of care and love went into it and I hope that he sells every copy!
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