Lennon Legend [Hardcover]

James Henke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2003

Presented in a handsome slipcase, Lennon Legend is both an illustrated and an interactive biography of the creative genius - songwriter, artist, social activist - who changed his times. Created with the cooperation of Yoko Ono Lennon, who has opened her archives for this project, the book offers insightful details about every era of John's life, from his early days at art school to the height of Beatlemania to "Imagine." A live recording of that song is included, along with several interviews of John talking about his life and art, on the audio CD contained in this package. Throughout, the book features archival photographs and reproductions of John's handwritten song lyrics, drawings, memorabilia, and personal papers. In all, 40 removable facsimiles can be enjoyed by the reader, several previously unpublished, including an intimate self-portrait in pen and ink and a plea for world peace. It's been said that John Lennon's was the voice of a generation. Lennon Legend celebrates that voice's power to resonate across the generations.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Henke, a rock critic and v-p of exhibitions at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, provides a breezy and serviceable biography that contains few unfamiliar photos and little new information. Yet incredibly detailed reproductions of artifacts (removable on almost every other page) from Lennon's life and work make this book something many fans won't be able to pass up. These include a report card from 1955; a business card for Lennon's early group the Quarry Men, distressed for effect; a ticket for the Beatles' appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in its original envelope; Beatle bubble gum cards; pages from a 1967 article in Rolling Stone; cards from the Yoko Ono art show that introduced her to Lennon; and handwritten lyric sheets. For any Lennon fan, this will be as close to the originals as one can get without actually owning them. Despite the splashy layout and varied materials, the book doesn't seem overdone, since Lennon himself worked in all sorts of media-such as the "War Is Over" postcards included here. An hour-long CD included with the book has Lennon talking about his work in his unmistakable combination of sly wit and engaging self-deprecation, a wonderful reminder of why Lennon is still beloved more than 20 years after his murder.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-This book documents the contours of Lennon's personal life, from childhood through marriages and career; his extraordinary accomplishments as musician, writer, and social activist; his influence on his own generation; and his continuing legacy. The story has been told before, of course-though rarely as elegantly as it is here. Archival, black-and-white and color photos appear on every page, enriching and interacting with the text. But this is more than a book; it is a production. It is slipcased; it includes a CD (an interview and a live performance of Lennon's masterful Imagine); and many of the "illustrations" add a personal, tactile dimension to readers' experience: 40 eerily realistic facsimiles of Lennon memorabilia can be removed from pockets and handled. A weathered report card from 1956 (Art: "good work this term"; Religious Instruction: "Work fair-attitude in class most unsatisfactory"; Headmaster: "He has too many of the wrong ambitions and his energy is too often misplaced"), coupled with an issue of Lennon's bizarre hand-drawn underground school newspaper, The Daily Howl, tells more about the performer's childhood than any amount of explication could do, and adds real depth to readers' understanding of the writer, artist, and activist that Lennon would become. Henke's text is thorough but economical, avoiding the sensationalism that has always dogged Lennon's press without avoiding significant issues or events. Outstanding, and it should have broad appeal.
Christine C. Menefee, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; First Edition edition (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811835170
• ISBN-13: 978-0811835176
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 9.9 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #388,663 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #31 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( L ) > Lennon, John

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most fun book on John Lennon you'll ever experience, November 13, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lennon Legend (Hardcover)

Of the hundreds of books out about The Beatles or John Lennon, this one definitely stands out. It isn't just a book to read but a book to experience. I had so much fun turning the pages and looking in each of the many pockets to discover what hidden treasure I'd find next. I've been a Beatle fan since the beginning and have just about every book written about them but this one is special. If you're a John Lennon fan you must have this book. Even if you aren't a big fan, you'll love this very special, and unbelievably low priced book. Do yourself a favor and get it immediately!

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Breathe" - Experience John Lennon, November 2, 2003

By 

Sven Solterbeck (www.solterbeck.de/gbip) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lennon Legend (Hardcover)

Imagine - you are visiting an exhibition about an important artist. An exhibition guide is describing anecdote-rich in short chapters all creative periods of this artist.

Imagine - you are buying the catalog, covering all the things you saw and heard before. Again ...

Imagine - you are taking with you some of the so admired exhibits (ok, only as reproductions, but ... anyway).

James Henke let with his book "Lennon Legend: An illustrated Life of John Lennon" this dream become true. Because provided with large expenditure, a worthy book is published, which resembles rather a fan collection in form of a photo album as a classical biography. The "Clou" - the book contains high-quality reproductions: handwritten letters and Songtexte, historical documents and further 40 removable memorabilia as well as an interview CD, on which also a rare live recording of "Imagine" is to be heard from the year 1972.

Henke avoides dry academical essay and "letter deserts" to the reader. As a curator he knows obviously, how history can be lastingly and affectionately address. Facts become literally "illustrative" and "handable". Therefore you should pull the art cart with Yokos handwritten request "breathe" from page 26 and in thoughts experience , how it could have been, when John met for the first time Yoko.

The author succeeds with this approach to show, almost the entire work of Lennon as a musician, author, painter, performance artist and as an actor. But the book is not a detailed exposition with the John's contradictions. Rather Henke concentrates to point the view of the reader of the strengths and talents of this outstanding artist.

Nevertheless in my opinion this book let the answer to question open, which let John Lennon become a legend. This to mediate clearly, succeeds only in few places in this book: "in somewhat more than three years... they (the Beatles) had revolutionized the music and the fashion, and at the cultural and social changes... they were considerably involved."

Also John never understood itself as legend. In its last interview (contained in cutouts also on that CD) he says: "my role in society is trying to express, what we all feel and not to tell the people how to feel - not as a preacher, not as a leader, but as a reflection of us all, and it's like that the job of the artists in society."

All in all, this book is remarkable, than many biographies about John Lennon before - Henke lets the "legend become touchable":

Imagine - you are opening the book and the Lennon exhibition come to you home.

Already because of this conception that book earned at least four of five stars.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely fab!, March 15, 2004

By 

Candace Scott (Lake Arrowhead, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lennon Legend (Hardcover)

Everything Henke publishes is always a high quality, well-researched effort and this is no exception. It's not hyperbole to say that this book contains virtually everything you ever wanted to know about Lennon memorabilia; the details are prodigious. It's an almost encyclopedic chronicle of Lennon's life from 1940 until his tragic death in 1980. Casual fans might suffocate under the weight of all this info, but for Lennon fanatics, like me, this is nirvana.

The book is divided between personal material about John, his relationships, marriages, divorce, and two sons, and his professional career. His partnership with Paul is explored in fascinating detail and no discernible bias can be seen. The index is easy to follow and cross-referenced so you can easily find what you're looking for. The highlights are the color photos of John memorabilia: report cards, Quarrymen stuff, lyric sheets... it'll blow your mind.

If you are a serious fan of John Lennon, this is an indispensible guide to his songwriting, personality and his life. If only he had been allowed more than 40 years on earth, how many more classic songs would he have written? Sadly, we will never know, but this celebration of his life is as good as it gets.