Rating: 
Summary: Breathtaking
Review: Words cannot describe the depth and breadth of this wonderful coffee table book. Every Beatles fan will be satisfied with this book. There is ONE problem however. As you scan the photos that we have never before one wonders where the negatives are so we can see what didn't get printed here. Anthology II??? Maybe! Splendid! Kevin Hogan...
Rating: 
Summary: Great not Perfect
Review: How does one begin to discribe this book? Glorified coffee table book? That would be close but not the true discription. Someone may look at it that way simply by examining the size. It is diffiult to handle in it's current format. However, there is no way around that without cutting down the size of the pictures which are trully amazing. I also found it difficult to physically read given that the print covers multi-colored splashes of art.While I have enjoyed looking through this beautiful book, I did find it very disappointing in one aspect: where was the album history? Was it an oversite that there was no concise list of all albums released in the US and England with lyrics, comments, jacket covers, etc? I consider this a massive error. This is however a must, not only for Beatles fans but all that are interested in '60s culture and history. So, throw your Beatle CD's on the player, sit back and curl up with this wonderful but flawed book. Enjoy
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Summary: THE BEATLE ANTHOLOGY BY THE BEATLES!!
Review: This extraordinary project has been made possible because Paul McCartney,George Harrison and Ringo Starr have agreed to tell their combined story especially for this book. Together with John wife Yoko Ono Lennon, they have also made available the full transcript (including all the outtakes) of the television and video series The Beatles Anthology. Through painstaking compilation of sources worldwide, John Lennon's words are equally represented in this remarkable volume. Furthermore, The Beatles have opened their personal and management archives specifically for this project, allowing the unprecedented release of photographs which they took along their ride to fame, as well as fascinating documents and memorabilia from their homes and offices. What a book I can tell you The Beatles Anthology is! Each page is brimming with personal stories and rare and vintage images. Snaphots from their family collection takes us look back to the days when John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Richard Starkey were just boys growing up in Liverpool. They talk in turn about those early years and how they came to join the band that would make them known around the world as John, Paul, George and Ringo. Then, weaving back and forth, they tell the astonishing story of life as The Beatles: the first gigs the phenomenon of their rise to fame, the musical a social change of their heyday, all the way through to their breakup. From the time Ringo tried to take his drum kit home on the bus to their eagerly anticipated meeting with Elvis, from the makeing of the Sgt Pepper album to their last photo session together at John's house, The Beatles Anthology is a once-in-a-lifetime collection of The Beatles' own memories. Created with their full cooperation, The Beatles Anthology is, in effect, The Beatles autobiography. Like the music, which has been a part of so many of our lives, it's warm, frank, funny, poignant and bold. At last for the first time in Print, is the history of The Beatles-By The Beatles in their own story.
Rating:
Summary: Help! I love this book!
Review: What a beautiful, sad, psycadelic journey into the lives of my *personal* fave FAB FOUR! (Alright, FAB THREE.*Sniff*) The content of this monolithic book is really interesting, the Beatles say in thier own words things that they have done in their career. My gosh, I can't believe that I missed all that they talked about by 25 years...! I like the early years, when each Beatle talked about their childhood. I love the pictures, the quotes.... Everything is perfect in this book. It's a wonderful insight to all that the Beatles mean. Besides the Beatles, the book includes interviews with Neil Aspinall, George Martin, Mal Evans.... those sort of people. Really important, don't get me wrong. I can't buy love on Amazon, but I think if you love Beatlemania, you should buy this book!
Rating:
Summary: FABULOUS!! It's nice to finally get their side of it all!
Review: This is a beautiful book. The pictures are well-presented and interesting. The stories are done in-depth. I especially enjoyed the detailed review of what happened in Manila, plus all the early background stories and pictures. It seemed like there was quite a bit of new info there. Hard core Beatles fans get most of their information third or fourth hand from many different, and not so reputible sources and hope it is the truth, but wonder if it is a rumor. They also covered this in the anthology, but I had read somewhere that Ringo had left during the making of the White Album, but how can you believe what you read?? It was great to hear and read about them discussing these subjects themselves for a change. One funny personal note. I usually read laying in bed at night, and when I tried to recline back and rest the book on my ribs, it was so heavy it made my ribs ache, and I had to sit up. It really us a humongous volume, not just in size, but in content.
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Summary: Anthology for Beatles' fans!
Review: This book is great and gives information from were Ringo grew up and up to the band breaking up. I includes all the info that the Beatles' would release. It is full of facts that you wouldn't know like the song "Penny Lane" was the street that John Lennon grew up on. The song "Yellow Submarine" was when the Beatles' were in a house and thought that they were in a big submarine.(They were on a LSD trip.)All the behind the scenes that you could think of.At the school I go to it is in the Library. The book was quotes all from the Beatles' and was put together by Neil Aspinall(Executive producer).There are many different people who worked on this book and is tough to list all of them!
Rating: 
Summary: Great from the Fabs View, lacking in critical matters
Review: As a long time Beatle fan I have read over 100 books on the band and own close to 50. This book intrigied me as I found some photos and quotes that I truely had never seen before. My critique is that because the Beatles and a few select close friends are the only ones telling the story, there is not as much balance as I would prefer to see. It is important to see things from all sides and this book only is the view from the inside looking out. If one has read a multitude of books on the band, then this is refreshing and informative. If this is one's first introduction to Beatle literature then also reading "Shout" by Phillip Norman, "The Beatles, and Illustrated Record" by Roy Carr and Tony Tyler "The Beatles, and Authorized Biography" by Hunter Davis, "The Love You Make" by Peter Brown and Steven Gaines (for a start) to gain a more whole view of the subject is a good idea. This book is invaluable, as we hear the interpretation of events that changed the face of music as well as the world, from those who participated. Yet, I would have appreciated a noninvolved assesment of many of the issues discussed. The Beatles (especially McCartney) tend to engage in a bit of "revisionist history" much to the detriment of this book and the disappointment of those who have read volumes on this band. Also the size and weight of the book make it a difficult read. Conidering the sheer volume of information and pictures that are contained, it must have been diffucult to design. It might have been a better idea to make the book thicker and not so large in height. It is impossible to carry. I also would have liked to hear about some issues which the Beatles seem to always avoid discussing. McCartney's sudden relationship break with Jane Asher, as well as his other relationships, John Lennon's mental health status (actual, not his bizarre theories on it) Brian Epstien's personal life and how it affected the Beatle's careers ect. All in all, this was an enjoyable read and a good starting point or addition to a library of Beatle related literature. However, other books should also be read in order to get a more inclusive view on this always interesting subject.
Rating:
Summary: definitive
Review: After reading "Anthology", I've gone back and read some of the other noteworthy Beatle books. The others just don't compare to "Anthology's" from-the-horse's-mouth perspective. Sure, it's probably been sanitized a bit by the authors, but it's still a wonderful read.
Rating:
Summary: A Fitting Tribute
Review: The world will never forget the Beatles. No other band will ever be as good, and no other duo will write songs as good as those written by John Lennon and Paul Mcartney. When the Beatles first emerged in the 60's, something changed. This book is an incredible tribute, which is written and presented beautifully with engaging text and amazing images. This book should find a place in the home of every Beatles fan, and it should be passed down through the generations for them to enjoy.
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Summary: Not Just Another Beatles Book
Review: I've read at least two dozen biographies of the Beatles over the last four or five years, and I thought I knew it all. Until I got this book for Christmas, that is. It contains a wealth of fresh, entertaining anecdotes all written by the Beatles themselves. Don't think it's a repeat of all the information you saw on the Anthology videos or the CDs- this is new and is worth your money. I was especially impressed by the section on Ringo Starr's early life: most books seem to gloss over his childhood and ignore him until he joins the group. Who knew that he was in training to be an engineer and become a skilled worker (unlike anyone else in his family) until he decided to just drop it and play the drums instead? Or that he was the Liverpool equivalent to a James Dean-style greaser? Or that Rory Storm (of the Hurricanes, Ringo's original band) committed suicide after the Beatles became famous? Another stand-out story was one by George Harrison in which he relates his experience with trying to build a guitar (when he was about 12 or 13 years old). He had varnished the wood, attached the neck, and was putting on the strings after hours and hours of labor when suddenly the entire thing snapped and broke into bits. In his words, "I threw it in the shed and never spoke to it again." Anyway, I've been reading the Beatles Anthology book for hours and hours and I'm only on page seventy-five...it's keeping me occupied, but never bored. ALL HAIL THE BEATLES!
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