A Day in the Life of The Beatles [Hardcover]

Don McCullin (Author), Paul McCartney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 19, 2010

Published to coincide with the thirtieth anniversary of John Lennon’s death, this previously unpublished collection of poignant photographs is a record of one day with The Beatles—just after Sgt. Pepper was released. In September 1968, critically acclaimed photojournalist Don McCullin was invited to spend a day photographing The Beatles in locations ranging from Paul McCartney’s garden to the banks of the Thames, as well as in their recording studio. The timing of this was, in hindsight, significant. The Beatles had just released Sgt. Pepper, Vietnam was in turmoil, and riots had spread through America’s cities and campuses. It was the moment when the innocence and optimism of the sixties darkened—the instant the youth movement, of which The Beatles were icons, converged with the antiwar protests, the civil rights movement, and the burgeoning counterculture. One of the most poignant photographs taken that day was of John Lennon posing as dead, surrounded by the other three band members. Lennon himself carefully choreographed the image as a pose of protest, but it is now seen as tragic and strangely prophetic. These images of four inspired artists at the pinnacle of success and on the cusp of transformation mark the passing of an era, and in them, we can glimpse our own lost youth.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"These images of four inspired artists, at the pinnacle of their success and on the cusp of transformation, mark a time of radical cultural evolution. In these photos, culled from twenty rolls of black-and-white film taken over the course of an afternoon and ending as the evening shadows gathered, we can glimpse a moment in time that forever changed the way we viewed ourselves and our place in the world around us."
~Photography Blog

"The Beatles broke up 40 years ago, on Dec 31, but their unsinkable legacy was buoyed last month when their songbook went on iTunes while the 30th anniversary of John Lennon’s death put the band in the headlines. A Day in the Life of the Beatles with text by Paul McCartney, presents the band in the bloom of youth, in photos taken by Don McCullin in 1968, not long before the release of the White Album." ~New York
Times, City Edition

“Beatles fans who think they have everything will be happy to add this to their collections.” ~Courier News

“The book is beautifully crafted, printed on heavy stock, slender but satisfyingly hefty. For fans of the band who just can’t get enough of all things Beatles, it’s well worth a look.” ~PopMatters

About the Author

Don McCullin was an acclaimed war photographer of the late twentieth century. The winner of numerous awards, including two Premier Awards from the World Press Photo, he became the only photojournalist to be made Commander of the British Empire. He is the author of several books and was awarded the 2006 Cornell Capa Award by the International Center for Photography in New York. Paul McCartney gained worldwide fame as a member of The Beatles and is listed in the Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history."

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Rizzoli (October 19, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847836118
• ISBN-13: 978-0847836116
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 0.8 x 10 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #411,460 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Mad Day Out Makes a Beautiful Book 42 Years Later, October 19, 2010

By 

danny goldstein - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Day in the Life of The Beatles (Hardcover)

Got this book today and it's a must have for anyone who collects Beatles books, especially those that focus on photos. Every shot in this book comes from the famous July 28th 1968 shoot that saw the Beatles go to various spots around London. Some of the shots are easily familiar, others help to fill in the gaps of what took place that day.

My favorite shot? It's on pages 122/123 and it shows the Beatles with their heads resting on each other while Macca stands in the center with his eyes closed - as if he was wishing that it would go on forever. Six months later it was all coming apart.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good, February 24, 2011

By 

bryan cook - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Day in the Life of The Beatles (Hardcover)

This is a pretty good book. Lots of nice, rare-ish pictures, not much else. I was a little put off that i could find some pictures from this session that were not included in this book on line. Also, the proof sheets at the end of the book were as interesting as some of the pictures that were included in the book. Maybe a little more input from an interested fan would have gone a long way in making this book more special. It was cool to see some of the pictures but it would have been better to see some of the other ones too. Just my humble opinion.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not the comprehensive Mad Day Out - but a lovely book, March 18, 2011

By 

Moyzes - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Day in the Life of The Beatles (Hardcover)

This book captures some great photos of the day. Many I have never seen before (even on dedicated Mad Day Out websites) It is a shame that they didnt include all of the photos, I guess like most things they will drag these out into mutliple editions with more photos included

Definitely a great purchase though.

I do agree that the cover is lack lustre given the brilliant photos inside

A great book