Life: Remembering John Lennon: 25 Years Later (Hardcover)

~ LIFE MAGAZINE EDITORS (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The magazine best known for its pictures gets into the act with a photographic retrospective of Lennon, including shots from a number of photographers dating from the founding Beatle's childhood through Beatlemania and up to the aftermath of his tragic 1980 murder in New York. Captioned with brief, personal remembrances from friends and acquaintances, the photos will likely please fans, despite the work's overall breezy, saccharine presentation. The childhood and adolescent shots of Lennon, both with and without his eventual bandmates, are most engaging, including one shot of a 16-year-old John center stage fronting the Quarry Men on the very day he would engage for the first time a like-minded 15-year-old lad named Paul McCartney. (Oct.)The following is an excerpt from a review of a children's book that ran in the Oct. 3 issue of PW.
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Product Description

Out of the hardscrabble port city of Liverpool, England, there emerged a rock +n+ roll group that would become the most celebrated of all time. And the soul of that group was John Lennon, -the Smart Beatle,+ who with his mates changed the way the world looked, partied and lived. From the days in a Hamburg basement club to the Ed Sullivan Show to the movies to the White Album, the music traced a phenomenal trajectory. Along the way came his beloved Yoko and sons Julian and Sean, the breakup of the Fab Four, the fascinating solo albums, and finally, in the end, an assassin+s bullet. Life was there with John and the Beatles from their first visit to these shores till the final days. This exultant tale is told in vivid photography and words, as John is brought to life in a truly special volume from the editors of Life.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Life (October 5, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1932994238
• ISBN-13: 978-1932994230
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 9.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #228,683 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars In John's Life..., October 31, 2005

By	BeatleBangs1964 (United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

...we've loved him more.

This is an excellent selection and collection of photographs of the man who founded the World's Number One Band, the Beatles! I also like the inclusion of people who were instrumental influences in John's life and the short, to the point captions.

This is primarily a collection of stellar photographs and fortunately it does not get too bogged down in text. This book is what it is - a nice photo album, if you will with salient moments captioned and persons identified. As a lifelong Beatles fan with an extensive Beatles library and Beatles collection, I was pleasantly surprised to encounter some pictures that I had not previously seen.

The only objections I had was that John's murderer's picture was included. I, too felt that could have been omitted. This book was a celebration of 40 years of John's life, not recognition of the man who ended it. I also felt there was a bias against May Pang. That bothered me.

All in all, this is a really good collection that no Beatle fan should be without.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Imagine..., December 30, 2005

By	L. Shirley "Laurie's Boomer Views" (fountain valley, ca United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

An eerie photo of John Lennon signing an autograph in a book, as Mark David Chapman looks on just hours before he would shoot our beloved John dead, is absolutely chilling. Another of Chapman holding his finger to his head like a make believe gun(depicting him as the madman he was),brought back the reality of what happened, made me shiver and lose the smile that accompanied me through this otherwise beautiful look at the beautiful life celebrated cheerily in Life's "Remembering John Lennon: 25 Years Later".

128 pages of wonderful photos, including fabulous shots on both the front and back cover of this must have keepsake for loyal fans. A compilation from the Photojouranlists that were lucky enough to capture and immortalize, Lennon and the Beatles at work and at play.Astrid Kirchherr, Terence Spencer, Robert Whitaker, Bob Gruen, Allan Tannenbaum and Harry Benson's pictures and words tell the story.

There are black and whites, as well as color shots that chronicle and celebrate John's life. Pictures from his childhood, a wonderful shot of the"Quarry Men" at their first gig,his life and loves, family portraits with his children, candid shots with the likes of Elton John and Andy Warhol, and of course the rest of the FAB FOUR, all make for a sentimental look at the treasure we lost.

So, this is not a biography. This is a fabulous photo album, with three main sections. "A Liverpool Lad", "The Fab Four", and "John & Yoko", along with the photojournalists remembrances weaved through the book. My copy is a large(magazine size), softcover of excellent quality , I purchased at my grocery store. It would make a wonderful gift for the Lennon or Beatle fan. Probably would be nice for the coffee table as well, but I think I'll keep my copy in a safe place for now.

If you are looking for a more in depth ride with the Beatles, from a journalists point of view, I would recommend "Ticket To Ride" by Larry Kane, who covered their 1964-65 American Tour.

"Imagine" all that could've been....Laurie

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very nice picture book, October 22, 2005

By	fattuchus "fattuchus" (United States) - See all my reviews

As one would expect from the editors of Life Magazine, this is predominantly a book of touching and beautiful pictures of John and those important to him: the other Beatles and his family. I happen to be a big Beatles fan and own many Beatles related books and magazines. This particular book contained a number of photographs I had seen previously in addition to many I had never seen. The new pictures are particularly refreshing.

Unfortunately, there is also a portrait of Lennon's murderer which, I believe, could have been omitted.

The book also has some essays here and there, but if you want detailed prose, one should go elsewhere.

As one would expect, the book is in vague chronological order, depicting John's childhood, rise with the Beatles, Cyn and Julian, his relationship with Yoko, his romance with May, his reuniting with Yoko and love of Sean and his assassination. In my view, the book has a clear pro-Yoko anti-May slant. Perhaps Life needed Yoko's permission before publication.

All in all, a very enjoyable picture book.