http://www.popmatters.com/pm/post/107990-beatle-books-from-genesis-to-revolution/
by Mike Garrett
13 July 2009
Let's face it, some 40 years after John, Paul, George and Ringo went
their separate ways, it seems that that there is little that is known about
the Beatles
that isn't already known, to crib a phrase from All You Need Is Love.
At last count, there are nearly 500 books in print about the Fab
Four, and more keep coming out every year. This begs the question: Do
we really need another book about the Beatles?
Well, self-proclaimed Beatles' scholar W. Fraser Sandercombe thinks so.
But instead of actually writing about them, his Beatle Books: From
Genesis to Revolution is a compendium of every book written about the
group, listed by year, by author and by title, as well as a section
with books written by members of the band.
Again, the question seems to be: Why? In his introduction,
Sandercombe writes that "every year brings another mountain of
writing about (the Beatles), enough to keep a collector hunting forever."
By admitting that the flow of books about this seminal band is
seemingly ceaseless, Sandercombe actually undercuts the reasons for
his own book.
If there are always new books coming out, then doesn't his book,
about books, quickly become outdated the minute a new wave of
Beatle-lit washes ashore?
And it isn't like Sandercombe is giving us any way to navigate this
ocean of print it's simply a listing of books, with the author's
name, the publisher, the pub date, and whether it's hardcover or soft.
That's it. So if you're looking for, say, the ultimate book about the
Fab Four's concert history, you're SOL. But if you actually know of a
book that fits this bill, and can either remember what it was called,
or when it came out, then, yes, this book might prove useful.
Otherwise, it's hard to see the value of this book, unless you're an
obsessive, completist collector of Beatles books.
.
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