What do you think?
Rate this book
George Harrison: Living in the Material World
Drawing on George Harrison’s personal archive of photographs, letters, diaries, and memorabilia, Olivia Harrison reveals the arc of his life, from his guitar-obsessed boyhood in Liverpool, to the astonishment of the Beatles years, to his days as an independent musician and bohemian squire. Here too is the record of Harrison’s lifelong commitment to Indian music, and his adventures as a movie producer, Traveling Wilbury, and Formula One racing fan. The book is filled with stories and reminiscences from Harrison’s friends, including Eric Clapton, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and many, many others. Among its previously unpublished riches are photographs taken by Harrison himself beginning in the mid-1960s. It is a rich tribute to a man who died far too young, but who touched the lives of millions.
Praise for George Harrison: Living in the Material World:
“The ‘quiet’ Beatle’s widow draws on photos, letters, and memorabilia to evoke a living, breathing portrait of the man who sought a more spiritual life after experiencing the riches that came with fame. The book is tied to the HBO documentary directed by Martin Scorsese.”
— USA Today
“George was the quiet Beatle, so it’s a real magical mystery tour to peer behind the scenes with this nearly four-hundred-page book.”
— New York Post
“Seems well worth putting on your coffee table.”
— Huffington Post
“Fans of George Harrison, the quiet Beatle who died in 2001, will lap up George Harrison: Living in the Material World, by his second wife, Olivia.”
— Bloomberg.com
“The four-hundred-page book is filled with reproductions of notes, letters, scribbled lyrics, and some never-before-seen photographs. How many Beatles fans are out there? And how many ‘liked George’? Quite a few, it may turn out: the book debuts at number 24 on our extended nonfiction bestseller list this week, in its first week on sale.”
— Publishers Weekly
Praise for George Harrison: Living in the Material World:
“The ‘quiet’ Beatle’s widow draws on photos, letters, and memorabilia to evoke a living, breathing portrait of the man who sought a more spiritual life after experiencing the riches that came with fame. The book is tied to the HBO documentary directed by Martin Scorsese.”
— USA Today
“George was the quiet Beatle, so it’s a real magical mystery tour to peer behind the scenes with this nearly four-hundred-page book.”
— New York Post
“Seems well worth putting on your coffee table.”
— Huffington Post
“Fans of George Harrison, the quiet Beatle who died in 2001, will lap up George Harrison: Living in the Material World, by his second wife, Olivia.”
— Bloomberg.com
“The four-hundred-page book is filled with reproductions of notes, letters, scribbled lyrics, and some never-before-seen photographs. How many Beatles fans are out there? And how many ‘liked George’? Quite a few, it may turn out: the book debuts at number 24 on our extended nonfiction bestseller list this week, in its first week on sale.”
— Publishers Weekly
400 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2011
22 people are currently reading
2907 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews
October 30, 2011
if you love george harrison, you'll love this book.
if you love pictures of sixties celebrities, candid in everyday life, you'll love this book.
if you've wanted to know everything about george harrison's love for car racing, but almost nothing about his life with olivia and patti, then you'll love this book.
large book, comparable to the book version of "beatles anthology", right down to transcripts of the interviews in the documentaries.
if you love pictures of sixties celebrities, candid in everyday life, you'll love this book.
if you've wanted to know everything about george harrison's love for car racing, but almost nothing about his life with olivia and patti, then you'll love this book.
large book, comparable to the book version of "beatles anthology", right down to transcripts of the interviews in the documentaries.
October 12, 2011
Loyalty dictates that I should give this beautiful book 5 starts, but there were a few flaws that dampened my overall enjoyment. While the images are splendid, there seem to be gaps in the “narrative,” such as the mid-years of the Beatles (perhaps because Patti Boyd was on the scene?) and the final decade or so of George’s life. I did love the Travelling Wilburys studio shots, though I wish there had been more, and I skipped the handful of pages dealing with George’s love of racing. My favorite aspect had to be when George got involved with the Monty Python team to help them realize Life of Brian - I was previously unaware of the impact of his film company. Part of my problem may be that I am not very familiar with George’s solo catalogue, other than his top few hits, which may have been why I wasn’t particularly moved by Paul Theroux’s introduction. Regardless, this stunning book is a “must-have” for Beatles/George fans, so indulge!
I received a complimentary copy of this book because I won a random local radio station raffle.
I received a complimentary copy of this book because I won a random local radio station raffle.
January 28, 2012
Most of the pictures and quotes by George and others are post fab-four. George's second and last wife Olivia put together a nice tribute to our George. Hare Krishna......mgc
after thought....seeing George in the water in near proximity to my profile pic helps me see another thing I share with George...swimming.
after thought....seeing George in the water in near proximity to my profile pic helps me see another thing I share with George...swimming.
May 10, 2013
The five-star rating is for hardcore Beatles fans only, who will find a wealth of pictures previously unpublished to sate their desire for even more views of Beatles. Others may or may not care for the mix of photos (yes, lots of them, many taken by George himself) and comments about Harrison by his friends and fellow travelers.
I wouldn't buy it, but it was a great read. If I learned nothing else, I learned that George really DID garden, day and night. My grandmother would've been proud.
I wouldn't buy it, but it was a great read. If I learned nothing else, I learned that George really DID garden, day and night. My grandmother would've been proud.
December 10, 2018
A companion book to the doc of the same name; the doco is only okay, the book is very good. Great photos, some nice short essay pieces and blurbs. A huge amount of stuff to take in. Really speaks to the duality of Harrison as the soulful philosopher that lived in a mansion and owned race cars; the guy haunted by the trappings of fame who preached peace but was a womaniser and a grump. Fascinating man.
August 18, 2023
reading this took almost exactly as long as a full listen through of all things must pass (the perfect soundtrack!). this book has some really lovely moments especially in the early sections where we see letters george wrote to his family in the early days of the beatles.
i think the choice to put it in chronological order becomes a bit moot after the first couple sections because there are some very large gaps (there’s nothing really about either of his marriages or the later years of the beatles and it’s account of the travelling willburys is even quite bare) so it acts more as a few little snippets than any kind of narrative.
but the photos are GORGEOUS so i shouldn’t complain too much.
i think the choice to put it in chronological order becomes a bit moot after the first couple sections because there are some very large gaps (there’s nothing really about either of his marriages or the later years of the beatles and it’s account of the travelling willburys is even quite bare) so it acts more as a few little snippets than any kind of narrative.
but the photos are GORGEOUS so i shouldn’t complain too much.
January 23, 2024
An archiving masterpiece
February 7, 2022
This is a really beautifully done photographic telling of George Harrison’s life. Mainly a companion to the documentary, it’s rich and well done. Docking one star for sometimes confusing ordering.
October 5, 2011
This book is a must get for any George Harrison and/or Beatles fans!!! :D This book is a tie-in for the Martin Scorsese film with the same name and it's just fantastic!!! :D The pictures Olivia used and all the quotes from all of George's family, friends, and George himself are just so great!!! :D George has always been my favorite Beatle since I was 2-years-old in the late 80s, and I still feel like I keep learning more about him. He was so layered and the book shows all the different sides to him. He really wasn't "the quiet Beatle" everyone thought he was and so much more. ;) This also will help me in the wait to finally get to watch Scorsese's film. LOL :)
April 17, 2012
For anyone with any affinity for the Beatles, or simply George Harrison for that matter, this is BRILLIANT. So yes, I am still a Beatles fan, and it has become more apparent over the years that Harrison's input into their sound was under-rated at the time. No matter it was fun to see his life so lovingly portrayed in this magnificent book. The depth of coverage is astounding, and many of the photos sensational. It's a coffe table book that will be a conversation starter for sure. Can't wait to see the Martin Scorcese documentary that sort of accompanies the book which was put together by George's wife Olivia.
February 21, 2014
Brilliant, excellent biography based on an equally brilliant documentary and CD.
This is essential for George Harrison fans.
This is essential for George Harrison fans.
November 15, 2020
This is the companion book to the Martin Scorsese documentary. Olivia Harrison has been very generous in putting together this lavish book. She has provided a huge number of personal photos of George in non-public settings: very early Harrison family photos, from his 1963 trip to the US, at Friar Park, in India. There are early photos from The Cavern and The Star Club and from Australia. There are copies of correspondence including a wonderful letter from John Lennon to Mrs. Harrison from Hamburg.
It is a coffee table sized book that runs to nearly 400 pages. Everything is beautifully presented. This is a real treasure. The photos are stunning and there are very few that have been seen before. This is an essential book for George fans and Beatle fans. It is amazing that 48 years after the start of British Beatlemania that we could have this wealth of previously unseen, high quality material.
Olivia Harrison has my heartfelt appreciation for sharing this with the fans. This is a real labor of love. Hundreds and hundreds of books have been published about The Beatles. This is one of the very best. Very highly recommended.
It is a coffee table sized book that runs to nearly 400 pages. Everything is beautifully presented. This is a real treasure. The photos are stunning and there are very few that have been seen before. This is an essential book for George fans and Beatle fans. It is amazing that 48 years after the start of British Beatlemania that we could have this wealth of previously unseen, high quality material.
Olivia Harrison has my heartfelt appreciation for sharing this with the fans. This is a real labor of love. Hundreds and hundreds of books have been published about The Beatles. This is one of the very best. Very highly recommended.
February 5, 2022
Now it's no secret that George Harrison is not only my favorite Beatle but is one of my favorite people of all time. And seeing as I am such a simp big fan I had to see if my local library had any George Harrison books, and I decided to pick this one up because it was relatively short and mostly pictures. It ended up taking me a lot longer to get through this book because the text was tiny and there were captions to every single picture as well. I liked all the pictures, but I kind of wanted less talk and more see from this book. That's not exactly a fault of the book I'm just complaining over something minute. Overall I thought the book was fine, it was a nice read and I enjoyed the pictures, but it didn't stand out to me as a particularly amazing book. I've read other Beatles books that focus on photography that I've found more exciting, and this might not add much additional for people who are already big George Harrison fans, but it is still fun to skim through nonetheless.
Out of all the parts of George Harrison's life, the one that I liked reading about the best was his childhood and youth. Obviously people change a lot when they're young, and I'm interested in knowing who he was before he became famous and when he was only my age. I thought the pictures of him as a kid were adorable, and I thought it was nice just getting to learn about the things in his childhood that influenced who he was when he grew up. I also liked learning about how he got a passion for music and how he was able to nurture that passion. It feels like guitars were so much more expensive and harder to find back at the time, and now I know a lot of people who own them, but for kids like George their instruments were everything, and I'm sort of jealous because I wished I had that passion for music. I also really liked how at the very beginning of the book we saw how WWII impacted Liverpool. I know George was born in the middle of the war, and I can't imagine your earliest memories of your home town including seeing the remains of bombed buildings. I thought it was nice to talk about a bit of current events at the time and to also remember all the innocent people who lost their lives to bombings in WWII.
Now as much as I loved learning about baby George, I also was a sucker for the part of the book that actually talked about the Beatles, specifically in the early 60s. I've seen a lot of the photos in this section before, and I really don't think I learned anything new, but I love the four of them together, and I liked looking at them in their mop-top days because it makes me so happy. I love George to death and I think his solo career is really strong, but I love him best in the Beatles, and that's the same way I feel about all of them. I still did like the parts that focused on him as a solo artist, but of course the parts about him as he grew up and him in the Beatles were the best, and nothing in the second half of the book was better than those parts in the first half.
It was expected for the book to talk about George's spirituality and religion, and I liked that instead of spending a lot of time describing that journey of his we got to see photos of his journeys and see his specific quotes. I liked the pictures of him in India and in other locations enjoying local culture and spending time relaxing and reflecting about himself. It makes me jealous that I can't run away from my issues and go on a nice spiritual trip to hopefully transform me into a new person. There were two quotes of his that I had to write down from this section of the book not because they stood out to me but because they drew my attention for various reasons. If you're expecting insightful reflections from me, you will be severely dissapointed. This is just me laughing at the thongs George has said.
"Although we do have control over our actions right at this moment, I think what we are now is a result of our past actions, and what we're going to be is going to be a result of our present actions."
Yes, George, that's how life works. The paths we choose to take and the choices we make affect our futures. I feel like that's common sense unless I'm missing something. George is notorious for having quotes that kind of go off in confusing directions, and although I know he has a point, it gets a bit lost by the time it gets to the listener's ears. I know this book is trying to make this quote seem super insightful and deep, but this seemed so obvious to me that I couldn't help but laugh at this.
"Just for all of us standing here now, none of us can relate to each other unless we can relate to ourselves really. Each country must be strong and united. As soon as we can all have Planet Earth passports I'll be grateful, because I'm tired of being British or being white, or being a Christian or a Hindu. I don't have a philosophy, I just believe in the sap that runs throughout."
Now, I get what George was trying to say with this, but I think it missed the mark a bit. I feel like it was really privileged of him to say "I'm tired of being white," and although I understand the message to bring everyone together and make titles and identities essentially useless, but our society is not at the point where we can do that, You can't claim to be sick of being white when you're not judged or mistreated because of your skin color.
I could probably spend more time talking about this book, but I feel like every single thing I would say has already been said by someone else in much more concise ways. This is just a nice book summarizing George Harrison's life through photos, quotes, and other original sources. It was really great and talked about his entire life, although there was a *suspicious* lack of Pattie Boyd. I did end up getting really sidetracked while reading this because I tried to decided what would be the one TikTok I would show teenage George Harrison if I could travel back to 1960 specifically. I ended up spending quite a lot of time looking for a video, but in the end I couldn't pick one, but I still had a fun time trying to pick one up anyway.
Out of all the parts of George Harrison's life, the one that I liked reading about the best was his childhood and youth. Obviously people change a lot when they're young, and I'm interested in knowing who he was before he became famous and when he was only my age. I thought the pictures of him as a kid were adorable, and I thought it was nice just getting to learn about the things in his childhood that influenced who he was when he grew up. I also liked learning about how he got a passion for music and how he was able to nurture that passion. It feels like guitars were so much more expensive and harder to find back at the time, and now I know a lot of people who own them, but for kids like George their instruments were everything, and I'm sort of jealous because I wished I had that passion for music. I also really liked how at the very beginning of the book we saw how WWII impacted Liverpool. I know George was born in the middle of the war, and I can't imagine your earliest memories of your home town including seeing the remains of bombed buildings. I thought it was nice to talk about a bit of current events at the time and to also remember all the innocent people who lost their lives to bombings in WWII.
Now as much as I loved learning about baby George, I also was a sucker for the part of the book that actually talked about the Beatles, specifically in the early 60s. I've seen a lot of the photos in this section before, and I really don't think I learned anything new, but I love the four of them together, and I liked looking at them in their mop-top days because it makes me so happy. I love George to death and I think his solo career is really strong, but I love him best in the Beatles, and that's the same way I feel about all of them. I still did like the parts that focused on him as a solo artist, but of course the parts about him as he grew up and him in the Beatles were the best, and nothing in the second half of the book was better than those parts in the first half.
It was expected for the book to talk about George's spirituality and religion, and I liked that instead of spending a lot of time describing that journey of his we got to see photos of his journeys and see his specific quotes. I liked the pictures of him in India and in other locations enjoying local culture and spending time relaxing and reflecting about himself. It makes me jealous that I can't run away from my issues and go on a nice spiritual trip to hopefully transform me into a new person. There were two quotes of his that I had to write down from this section of the book not because they stood out to me but because they drew my attention for various reasons. If you're expecting insightful reflections from me, you will be severely dissapointed. This is just me laughing at the thongs George has said.
"Although we do have control over our actions right at this moment, I think what we are now is a result of our past actions, and what we're going to be is going to be a result of our present actions."
Yes, George, that's how life works. The paths we choose to take and the choices we make affect our futures. I feel like that's common sense unless I'm missing something. George is notorious for having quotes that kind of go off in confusing directions, and although I know he has a point, it gets a bit lost by the time it gets to the listener's ears. I know this book is trying to make this quote seem super insightful and deep, but this seemed so obvious to me that I couldn't help but laugh at this.
"Just for all of us standing here now, none of us can relate to each other unless we can relate to ourselves really. Each country must be strong and united. As soon as we can all have Planet Earth passports I'll be grateful, because I'm tired of being British or being white, or being a Christian or a Hindu. I don't have a philosophy, I just believe in the sap that runs throughout."
Now, I get what George was trying to say with this, but I think it missed the mark a bit. I feel like it was really privileged of him to say "I'm tired of being white," and although I understand the message to bring everyone together and make titles and identities essentially useless, but our society is not at the point where we can do that, You can't claim to be sick of being white when you're not judged or mistreated because of your skin color.
I could probably spend more time talking about this book, but I feel like every single thing I would say has already been said by someone else in much more concise ways. This is just a nice book summarizing George Harrison's life through photos, quotes, and other original sources. It was really great and talked about his entire life, although there was a *suspicious* lack of Pattie Boyd. I did end up getting really sidetracked while reading this because I tried to decided what would be the one TikTok I would show teenage George Harrison if I could travel back to 1960 specifically. I ended up spending quite a lot of time looking for a video, but in the end I couldn't pick one, but I still had a fun time trying to pick one up anyway.
September 26, 2022
This book is really a follow-up to the terrific biographical HBO documentary that Martin Scorcese and Olivia Harrison worked on a few years ago. It amounts to 60 pages of text plus hundreds of pages of great inside photo's and memorabilia. I enjoyed digesting all this material - I always thought a lot of George Harrison and had the (correct) impression that he was a very different kind of music star. He was a renaissance man, a very spiritual person who worked hard to keep his privacy and develop his values. He lived large and formed many intimate lifelong friendships with people in and outside of the music world. He was both a movie producer who formed his own production company, and a race car driver, commissioning his own Formula 1 car.
There are many great quotes and observations here. In addition to some great observations by his widow Olivia, I enjoyed the story by his son Dhani about just finding out at the age of 7 that his father was in the Beatles. I also enjoyed the quote from Michael Palin of Monty Python that George may have been labeled as the Quiet Beatle but in reality was a man with a lot to say about a lot of topics.
There are many great quotes and observations here. In addition to some great observations by his widow Olivia, I enjoyed the story by his son Dhani about just finding out at the age of 7 that his father was in the Beatles. I also enjoyed the quote from Michael Palin of Monty Python that George may have been labeled as the Quiet Beatle but in reality was a man with a lot to say about a lot of topics.
March 29, 2022
This book of the photos and self-portrait photos taken by George, notes, letters, drawings in his school books by him, even notes of lyrics he wrote, along with memories of his wife, his daughter, and son—will transport you. It covers George's life from the time when he was little to when he and Paul were school chums to the beginning of what would become the Beatles to all the different stages of his life. It is a fabulous celebration of his life. Somehow this book brings you in close to the remarkable life and the remarkable man that was George Harrison. It's an amazing work of art in itself. It leaves you with a tranquil feeling.
June 29, 2021
I loved having this book on my kitchen table. Reading snippets of it and looking at the photos taken from George's own camera.
It is a lovely memory piece and beautifully executed and a wonderful companion to the Martin Scorsese film.
The stories and photos are a beautiful review of George's life and music without being tacky or intrusive. Clearly Olivia Harrison undertook this book as an exercise in love. It really is a gift to George fans everywhere.
This charming and exquisite book is must read and a visual feast for those of us who admired George, his life and his music.
It is a lovely memory piece and beautifully executed and a wonderful companion to the Martin Scorsese film.
The stories and photos are a beautiful review of George's life and music without being tacky or intrusive. Clearly Olivia Harrison undertook this book as an exercise in love. It really is a gift to George fans everywhere.
This charming and exquisite book is must read and a visual feast for those of us who admired George, his life and his music.
November 26, 2021
Very fascinating look at George Harrison’s life. Mostly pictures with quotes thrown in from George himself and his family and friends. I didn’t know that George took up photography for a hobby. I enjoyed seeing his own photos.
I think I would have liked to see a little more about his family and a little less about his multiple trips to India, but I understand that his family are very private people. A book to be savored slowly.
I think I would have liked to see a little more about his family and a little less about his multiple trips to India, but I understand that his family are very private people. A book to be savored slowly.
January 28, 2022
This wasn’t what I was expecting. I ordered this from the library, so I wasn’t aware it was a huge, photographic book but it was still a pleasant read. My personal motive was to learn more about Harrison’s fascination for Indian philosophy and there was some good photos and quotes inside.
December 2, 2025
Really liked the pictures and reading stories about George. He's truly wonderful and inspiring. The day I finished it I listened to the album 'All Things Must Pass' and I just felt this peace. Loved reading it, especially during this time of year (November).
August 9, 2020
it was so good and it was about GEORGE HARRISON!!!!!
August 26, 2020
Many pretty pictures of a long ago cool guy.
October 1, 2020
This book includes great pictures of the pre beatle era and of personal sketches and letters by George Harrison.
February 14, 2022
Some standout photos, but overall content-wise doesn't elevate itself beyond "coffee table book" status.
January 26, 2023
A brilliant huge coffee table hardback book filled with loads of photos and stories from George and his friends such as Clapton and Petty.
August 4, 2023
3.5/5
February 3, 2024
#19 of 140 books during 2024
January 1, 2025
Good read.
March 8, 2025
I loved the letters George penned to his family early in his career as they truly depicted his thoughts at the time. The photographs are amazing and so many were George’s personal collection. Although the narrative is in chronoligical order, there are significant gaps, but it was fascinating to read about his love for racing, gardening, producing, and of course music.
March 20, 2025
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have always been a fan of all things Beatles, but it is nice to read about George and see other dimensions of just what a wonderful person he was!
March 22, 2025
The photographs and quotes were very well chosen. It’s always fun to see a photograph you’ve never seen before.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 113 reviews