The John Lennon Letters

by John Lennon, Hunter Davies (Editor)

A lifetime of letters, collected for the first time, from the legendary musician and songwriter.

John Lennon was one of the greatest songwriters the world has ever known, creator of "Help!", "Come Together", "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", "Strawberry Fields Forever", "Imagine", and dozens more. But it was in his correspondences that he let his personality and poetry flow unguarded. Now, gathered for the first time in book form, are his letters to family, friends, strangers, and lovers from every point in his life. Funny, informative, wise, poetic, and sometimes heartbreaking, his letters illuminate a never-before-seen intimate side of the private genius.

This groundbreaking collection of almost 300 letters and postcards has been edited and annotated by Hunter Davies, whose authorized biography The Beatles (1968) was published to great acclaim. With unparalleled knowledge of Lennon and his contemporaries, Davies reads between the lines of the artist's words, contextualizing them in Lennon's life and using them to reveal the man himself.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, Biography Memoir, History, Autobiography

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE, was an English singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, and together with Paul McCartney formed one of the most successful songwriting partnerships of the 20th century.

Born and raised in Liverpool, Lennon became involved in the skiffle craze as a teenager, his first band, The Quarrymen, evolving into The Beatles in 1960. As the group began to undergo the disintegration that led to their break-up towards the end of that decade, Lennon launched a solo career that would span the next decade, punctuated by critically acclaimed albums, including John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and Imagine, and iconic songs such as "Give Peace a Chance" and "Imagine".

Lennon revealed a rebellious nature and acerbic wit in his music, his writing, on film, and in interviews, and became controversial through his work as a peace activist. He moved to New York City in 1971, where his criticism of the Vietnam War resulted in a lengthy attempt by Richard Nixon's administration to deport him, while his songs were adapted as anthems by the anti-war movement. Disengaging himself from the music business in 1975 to devote time to his family, Lennon reemerged in October 1980 with a new single and a comeback album, Double Fantasy, but was murdered weeks after their release on the sidewalk outside his home in the Dakota. Ironically, "Imagine" (imagine all the people, living life in peace) was a featured cut from this album.

Lennon's album sales in the United States alone stand at 14 million units, and as performer, writer, or co-writer he is responsible for 27 number one singles on the US Hot 100 chart. In 2002, a BBC poll on the 100 Greatest Britons voted him eighth, and in 2008 Rolling Stone ranked him the fifth greatest singer of all time. He was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

--Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia --

Reviews

[Shirley Revill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have just finished a truly exceptional audiobook which I feel privileged to have read.
Throughout the years I have listened to the music of the Beatles and then to John Lennon also Paul McCartney with wings.
When I started listening to this audiobook I didn't think I would learn much through listening to his letters but I was so wrong.
I always thought that John Lennon was a truly nice guy and I made this assumption just by listening to his music which told me so much.
However the letters revealed just what I thought and also much about his life,thoughts and feelings.
I can vaguely remember seeing both John and Yoko in a huge bed in a hotel on the local news but it's a very long time ago.
My favourite song was and still is Imagine, the words are so beautiful and meaningful.
The world was left a much sadder place without John Lennon and he will always be remembered for the music and lyrics he left behind.

[Ed Wagemann · Rating 4 out of 5]

In May of 2009 I turned 41, making me older than John Lennon was when he died. That was a weird feeling. Every Rock star has an Ideal Iconic Death Age (or IIDA), a specific point in their career when their death would have the most iconic resonance. Generally the longer a Rock star lives, the less iconic they are. 27 years of age seems to be the exact right number for a lot of Rock stars since that is the age where they are still almost considered young, yet have also produced enough music to hold the attention of Rock fans. Members of the infamous Club 27 include Cobain, Hendrix, Morrison, Joplin and Brian Jones.

Luckily John Lennon is not a member of this club, for if he would have died at 27 we would not have "I am the Walrus", "Come Together" "Revolution" or "Imagine" (and the world never would have heard of Yoko Ono, either). But in many ways, Lennon's status as an Icon goes much further than his catalog of music.

A lot of people may balk at the idea of claiming John Lennon to be a humanitarian; a man accused of abandoning his first wife and neglecting his first child, and being addicted to heroin, a man who was accused of murder, accused of subversive activities, accused of engaging in homosexual acts, accused of having affairs. Although Lennon wasn't a humanitarian in the sense that he saved starving orphans in Africa, he did use his fame to advertise/spread the idea of love and peace. Big Deal, you say? Well, it might be hard to imagine a time when a musician could have an impact on society the way Lennon did. Today musicians rarely even speak of politics and when they do (for example, someone like the Dixie Chicks making a few offhand comments against Bush) we see how much crap they get in return. Lennon was protesting at 100 times the rate and at 100 times the scrutiny of anyone today. He was so feared by the US government, in fact, that Feds were tapping his phones and secretly following him around. One concrete example of Lennon's influence was when he debuted his song "John Sinclair" at a protest rally and within hours Sinclair was released from jail--instead of serving the ten year sentense he was due.



But Lennon's "work" as a humanitarian was best felt in a more personal way. After all, what can one person really do to change the world beyond being the best possible person that he or she can be? That was what Lennon was all about. Realistically, Lennon had issues he had to deal with. He was conceived and born amidst the height of destruction during World War II. His old man was a horny old sailor who abandoned him, and his teenage mother ended up leaving him with his aunt. Most of us know the story of how Lennon married young (namely because he got Cynthia pregnant) and how he was thrust onto the world stage at a young age. Later in life, Lennon tried to repair his relationship with his son Julian, and from all accounts Julian has nothing but kind things to say about his father. Perhaps Julian realizes that the world was a better place because Lennon followed his muse and gave us all of this great music (even if it was at the temporary expense of a happy family life for Julian). And maybe Julian also knows that Lennon's legacy goes beyond just the music.



There are several examples of how Lennon touched individuals in a deep way. Many of the examples the media dwell on are the more negative ones like the Charles Manson's Helter Skelter theories or the sordid details around Lennon's own assasination. Both of these examples illustrate the way Lennon connected with the outcasts of society, but despite these few bad apples, Lennon has given comfort to plenty of outsiders over the years (myself included) in a much more positive way.



Perhaps it is this personal way he affects people that impacts society at large. And perhaps this is why when we think of his death we look at it in the larger context of society as a whole. The timing of Lennon's death in 1980 happened just weeks after Ronald Wilson Reagan was elected president (if you recall the Beatles British Invasion is often linked to the Kennedy assasination, because the nation was in such a deep state of mourning that people were desperate for some upbeat, good-natured fun and the Beatles seemed to be the only ones capable of providing at the time). Its also relevant that Lennon's death happened at the begining of a decade known for a lot of the things that Lennon spoke out against, namely excessive materialism, greed, commercialism, etc. Beyond that, there is a more direct comment that Lennon's death seems to make about our culture and the bizarre obsession that certain people have of wanting to be close to those who are famous.



But in the end, Lennon's life far overshadows his death. Lennon's ultimate gift was that he simply touched people in a very direct and intense way. Surely he will be remembered in part because he wrote some great fucking songs, and also because he lived a truly mythical life, but to many it was the manner in which he unflinchingly examined and expressed the complicated inner search for truth that he was constantly struggling with that really seems to resonate with anyone who has ever attempted to attain a deeper understanding of life. For those people Lennon will always serve as a touchstone

[sasasa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of fun but seems really incomplete. No way of knowing what's missing but it just seems really spotty, because given what's included it seems like he would have written a lot more, since he clearly enjoyed doing so.

I'm totally baffled by some of the typos and tons of "?" in the transcriptions of the letters - things that you can clearly read in the image of the letter that the editor could not figure out, and it apparently didn't occur to him to ask someone else to try it. Also, INTRODUCING typos in the transcriptions? Where have all the copy editors gone, is what I'd like to know.

I got this yesterday and have read most of it, and it's been a lot of fun. Most of it isn't terribly deep, but there are a few that shed some light on bits of this or that. Among the most entertaining bits are his lists of to-dos for his assistants. "PUT SEAN'S MATTRESS BACK IN HIS ROOM! TODAY!"

I can't bring myself to go to the very end yet, though. I want him to stay alive a little longer, even just in the context of this book.

[Petra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, my sadness at John Lennon's murder comes to the surface. The world lost a good man.
These letters, notes and postcards show a warm, kind, passionate man who believed in the goodness of people, of working together for a common goal and the power of Love and Peace. These weren't just words to him; he believed in them and their power to better ourselves & our world.
He reached out to people unknown to himself and gave them words of friendship and humour, just because they wrote to him. Fan letters! Imagine a star today taking the time to hand-write a reply to a random fan. And John Lennon did it over and over again.
He wasn't a perfect man but he was a thinking man who tried to find his way to a better reality. He used his money & status to make points that he hoped would be heard. With each year, he became more grounded, aware, and dare I say it, wise.
The early letters (from The Beatles era) weren't stellar. He was definitely young and perhaps overwhelmed at what was happening with all the fame and concerts. These letters didn't show a man of wisdom but the seeds must have been there.
But once John Lennon meets Yoko Ono his direction changed. He started to think deeper and in more significant ways about the world, what's important to all and to himself personally. He grew and broadened. These letters are wonderful.
Sadly, the letters stopped. They stopped at a time in John's life that gives me pain, really. He was at that almost perfect place where he had matured and grown to a place where he could now comfortably be himself and be happy. He still had so much to live and to give the world.

So, why not 5 stars? The narrator/editor, Hunter Davies. Before each letter he puts the letter in context (history, time, background info) and gives a summary of the letter to come. This summary is sometimes longer than the letter itself and tells all. Leave some surprise, Mr. Davies!
Also, Hunter Davies knew The Beatles personally. He partied and dined with them at times. And he let us know that, again and again. It was a bit like name-dropping ("look who I know/knew!").

[R. Scot Johns · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating, if spotty insight into Lennon's life, marred by sketchy commentary and innumerable transcription errors (for which I've sent in several corrections to the editor). Only some two dozen of the 285 "letters" included in this collection are worth the time to read (fewer than half are even letters, most being quickly jotted notes), as shining any light on Lennon's thoughts or mental state (questionable at most times for entirely understandable reasons). Most are laundry lists and postcards containing nothing more than a quick hello. More than half are indecipherable, due not as much to poor penmanship (and worse typing) than their unintelligible content, which consists in the main of personal inside jokes and a litany of bad literary puns (often in pseudo dialect with phonetic spelling).

To make matters worse, while each entry is given a more or less useful introduction by the compiler for the sake of context, only a very few merit a follow-up comment as to what resulted from the correspondence, rendering that context incomplete - even those who know John's story well will need to refer to outside sources. Of those meriting post-comment content, John Sinclair's release from prison (on possession of two joints) after Lennon's impromptu concert benefit is already well documented, although the outcome of a press release sent to world leaders asking clemency for Michael X (accused of murder) is less well known, as it was not successful. The majority, however, are simply a snapshot in time with no outcome.

All in all the general impression this collection gives is of a great creative mind in turmoil, ranting incoherently on random subjects from political/spiritual causes to personal family matters, lashing out in reactionary attacks on perceived accusers (sometimes rightly, sometimes not), expecting to be heard, but usually unable to express himself clearly enough that it might make an impact on the intended audience. John's music was his voice, focused into concentrated thoughts and vivid images, but on paper he was just as often a jabbering maniac. Half a dozen only of these nearly 300 missives are enlightening, informative, or argued rationally enough even to make sense. Of these a few are deeply philosophical, a few honestly emotional, a couple riotously funny (though not as many as their author must have thought) - the rest are little more than trash bin remnants.

[Невена Дишлиева-Кръстева · Rating 3 out of 5]

Всъщност трите звезди са за съставителя на книгата. Самите писма на Джон са удивителни, носят онова негово чувство към езика и игровото в него, което винаги ме е радвало - откакто прочетох преводите на Рупчев. Съставителят обаче е действал абсолютно безкритично, събрал е абсолютно маловажни бележки, едва ли не списъци за пазаруване и домашни неща, просто за да трупа обем сякаш. Освен това ме дразни онова желание да се изкара много близък до Джон и групата, довереник един вид. За Джон - десет звезди, не пет.

[Renata · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK it probably goes without saying that you should only read this if you are already a pretty big Beatles/Lennon fan. If you are, you will probably like this. Hunter Davies does a good job of providing context for the letters which vary wildly from short postcards to his aunt to letters to fans to diatribes about art to grocery lists. (He likes yogurt.) Sometimes John seems like a real dick in his letters, which by all reports he sometimes was in real life. You can understand why he would be that way, given all the insane amounts of celebrity & pressure surrounding the Beatles, but still--a dick. But sometimes he seems like a sweet, funny guy. Sometimes he seems like a true radical and I loved reading his thoughts about songs like Imagine and Revolution and their potential for being forces of change.

I will probably buy this book for my dad for Christmas and he will probably like it. Don't tell my dad. You might also want to get this book for your dad, if your dad like the Beatles. 97% of dads do.

PS I forgot to say that my favorite letter was one he wrote in reply to a letter to the editor someone wrote saying that TV was making kids dumb, and John wrote a really smart defense of Sesame Street <3

[Fromwordstoworlds · Rating 4 out of 5]

The reaction of John Lennon to most things, whether joy or anger, fear or loathing, fun or fury, was to write it down. He responded with words, not just music. It was entirely natural for him to put pen to paper whenever he had an idea, a thought, or a desire to communicate.

Hunter David says in the first paragraph of his Introduction to the book.

This collection, which consists not only of letters but also includes postcards, notes, shopping lists, doodles and scraps, telegrams reflect John Lennon’s portrait, his inner world but his era as well. Hunter David spent years of contacting people all over the world to provide him copies or original versions of the letters and then arranging and explaining them. I loved the style and the subtle humour.

There is brief information on his early years, on the relation Lennon had with his relatives, the love-letters he sent to his first wife, Cynthia Powell. Most of his correspondence covers the beginning of the Beatles, the Beatlemania and all the years that followed until his death.

See full review on blog:
https://fromwordstoworlds.wordpress.c...

[Sannie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It goes without saying that you have to be a big John Lennon fan in order to get through this book. It's quite easy reading and gives you some nice insight into how he corresponded with family, friends, peers, the other Beatles, colleagues, and fans. The letters are mostly chronological and vary from being legible in John's own hand to being neatly typed (but still poorly spelled).

Personally, I preferred reading In His Own Write and A Spaniard in the Works because they were more entertaining. Although John's witty remarks are there and his correspondence shows a different side that is not evident in his own published works, reading the letters is a bit disjointed and disconnected. It makes for very easy reading because they're all very brief; but again, this goes back to being a hardcore John Lennon fan (which I think I would consider myself).

The John Lennon Letters is nevertheless an interesting read, but not necessarily something I would read and pore over multiple times.

[Catherine Bilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hunter Davies has done well with this collection of letters, postcards, notes and lists all written by the late great John Lennon. The brief biography at the beginning of the book is all stuff you would already know if you are a Lennon fan but it's still good to go over it again and I guess useful if you don't know much about him (but I can't imagine anyone who doesn't already know everything about him wanting to read these letters).

Before each transcript there is an explanation of the content of the letter. Often Davies refers to a letter as though there is an image of it in the book and I was constantly checking to see if it was there. Davies says in the Introduction that "In almost every case I have included an image of the letter .... (unless the letter has been typed ....)". I guess a lot of the letters were typed then as I felt a bit disappointed not to see more images.

All in all this was an enjoyable read, but probably only of interest to keen John Lennon fans.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed listening to this book. I don't know if I had read it, it would have the same impact. Both the narrator and the man who voiced John Lennon did a really good job. the book is basically a compilation of 200 + letters notes postcards that John wrote / received over his life time. It was pretty incredible to note that even as famous as he was but he still took time too type and write notes to family, friends, and fans. I grew up having Beatles music in my life because my Mom was a fan or at least I said she was a fan because she owned a couple of records. I also share the same birth date, October 9th with John Lennon, probably just one more thing that keeps me interested. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who's a fan of The Beatles or especially of John Lennon.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great! This is an amazing collection of letters, postcard, notes, etc. written by John. Collectively, they reveal John as a person. They showed that he was caring of his family, kind and thankful to others. That's not to say that he didn't get angry or upset. But they do show that the he was a beautiful person.

[Кремена Михайлова · Rating 4 out of 5]

Може ли човек да се влюби два пъти в един и същ човек?
Какво съм знаела за Джон Ленън през 80 те, когато „задължавах“ приятелките си на 8 декември всяка година да се събираме „за Джон“ на младежкия ми таван? Малко ли е, че сме намирали с мъка и преписвали на ръка текстовете на „Бийтълс“? Малко ли е, че в тъмните часове от режима „2 часа има-2 часа няма“ (ток) в училище нямаше как да се прави друго, освен учителките по английски да ни „преподават“ песните на групата? Мисля, че е било достатъчно, защото сме усещали искричката на Джон Ленън и името му е означавало повече от „музикант“. Достатъчно е било и все пак сега съм още по-доволна, че видях повече в дълбочина – не искричка, а искрище!

Много добре, че не прочетох типична биография, а това самопредставяне чрез писма. Годините безспорно бяха такива – пишеха се много писма – но и Джон Ленън е бил още по-активен писмописец. Освен всичко, свързано с разностранните му дейности, интересна е редовната кореспонденция с „родата“. Може би особено отвъд Океана Джон е имал потребност от това. Въпреки че роднините често започват да дотежават на големите „звезди“, момчето от Ливърпул не прекъсва връзката. Все пак това са хората, които са били неговото семейство. А историите на мама и татко са като за роман…

"Mama don't go
Daddy come home
…
I needed you
But you didn't need me."

Повечето от писмата действително са писма, но Хънтър Дейвис е успял да събере и многобройни бележки, бележчици, картички, списъци за пазаруване, драскулки… Ясно е, че Йоко Оно е позволила, но все пак в началото ми трябваше малко време да свикна – да се четат чужди писма?! Нещо толкова лично. Може би обърнах внимание на това, защото точно в момента превеждах писания за „личната неприкосновеност и защитата на данните“ и бях вманиачена на тема privacy.

Всичко това обаче действително ни изправя лице в лице с Джон – изливане без задръжки, директно разголване на спонтанните му настроения и позиции. Каламбури, (без)смислици, волни и неволни грешки на езика/правописа, гняв и обич без заобиколни думи, шегички и рисунчици… Лудостта по вещите на звездите ми е странна. Но конкретно тези писмени лица на Джон Ленън са наистина ценни. Неподправена история и връзка с личността. Да изреждам ролите на тази личност е банално. Живот-буря. И във вихъра на „Бийтълс“ годините, и при разностранната активност в „Джонийоко“ годините, и последните пет като „домакиня“ и татко на Шон. Дори спокойните години на уединение пак не са безлични. Какви биха били следващите…

Винаги съм се дразнела от елементарната раздувка, че Чапман бил „вдъхновен“ от Холдън. Сигурно много се е изписало за това. Но аз сега изпитах болка и яд. С или без връзка със „Спасителят в ръжта“, новината, която създаде Чапман („Джон Ленън застрелян“), по ирония наистина ми звучи като думите на Джон ("More popular than Jesus"). Сега питам всеки „Помниш ли какво правеше на 8.12.1980 г.?“, както се питаме „Помниш ли какво правеше на 10.11.1989 г.?“ Или както може би американците се питат за 22.11.1963 г. По света хора биват убивани всеки ден, по много, твърде много. Но убийството на едничък такъв човек кара света да притихне, да го заболи... И после пак да забрави...

След харесването по инерция през 80-те последва период, в който пренебрегвах Джон Ленън и „Бийтълс“. Мислех, че Джон е създадена от хората легенда, а „Бийтълс“ – прекалено „меки“ за моя музикален вкус. Сега чрез писмата постигнах „осъзнато и информирано“ харесване на некомформиста. Видях го като бунтар не от онези яростните и забравящи какво правят и искат. А от онези „натуралните“ лудяги, за които изрази като „All my love” или „Love to you always” в края на писмата винаги имат значение, дори и при най-бурни (груби) отношения… Останалото, с което свикнах – ирония, сарказъм, провокативност, експерименталност.

Трудно се разчитат писмата на Джон Ленън, доста грозно и небрежно е писал. Добре, че се е научил да печата на машина, за да мога да прочета някои от напечатаните писма. Но без превода не знам доколко бих разбрала неговия „английски“. За да се улови непослушния изказ/характер на Джон, е било нужно преводачите да знаят и „ленънски“ език, не само английски, заради нахвърляните хаотични бълваници на Джон и измислените от него думи и изрази. Двойна работа!

Не е лесно с такъв човек:
„Твоят лек�� откачен братовчед.“
„Пак ме избива на откачени идеи.“

Нищо, че към края, в главите „Сам вкъщи“ и „Все още в уединение“, проявява и други страни на характера си или просто се променя. По-ранните години с „Бийтълс“ не ми бяха толкова интересни, сякаш самата Англия наистина е тясна. По-късно в САЩ се е чувствал неестествено ограничен заради визовите проблеми, но все пак Ню Йорк е точно като за него.

„СКУЧНО е да си на място само с една раса… в Ню Йорк… това място е пословично, тук ври и кипи от всякакви хора… добро място за ЯпонАнглоИрландоАмериканче… всяка раса мисли, че притежава „нещо специално“, което никоя друга не притежава… жалка история...“

При появата на Йоко Оно изплува онзи Джон, който познавам по-добре. По инерция и аз съ�� се поддавала на популярните мнения, че Йоко е „виновна“ за разпадането на „Бийтълс“. Но от тази книга (и в другата с негови интервюта) разбирам съвсем друго. Всичко говори, че Джонийоко са сиамски близнаци. Дотолкова, че повечето от писмата са подписани John & Yoko и Джон се е обидил, когато някой адресирал писмото си само до него, а не до двамата. При попълването на биографичните си данни в „Кой кой е“ също е казал всичко:

„Роден през 1940 г. Живее. Среща Йоко и се Жени.“

И други подробности ми бяха интересни в този формуляр.
Например – вижда се как е писал дата „април“, но вероятно се е сетил, че е март и е поправил, но ми се струва типично – да е разсеян и необръщащ внимание на такива „подробности“ като датите. За деца – освен Джулиан (от Синтия) е отбелязал и Киоко (от първия брак на Йоко, макар че не живее с тях). За Leisure interest – разбира се „Working for peace“.
Има място за отметка за абониране за Who’s Who, той е написал “I’d like a free one please”. Мисля, че не от стиснатост, а от вроденото му шегаджийство…)

Разбирам привличането донякъде и от това:
„За двойката следва плодотворен творчески период – правят заедно филми, музика, изкуство, събития и хепънинги, което в края на годината води до филм и албум със заглавие Two Virgins („Двама девственици“). На обложката Джон и Йоко са снимани, както ги е майка родила.“

Нищо чудно, че всичко свършва с „Двойна фантазия“.

А накрая оставам дълго да гледам може би най-краткото „писмо“ — автограф от 8.12. 1980 г.

… с обич…

[Bookmaniac70 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Един шеметен бръснещ полет през живота на Джон Ленън,представен чрез неговите писма и бележки. Нямаше начин да пропусна тази документална книга за личност, която обожавах в ученическите си години. Доста време е минало, откакто за първи път се запознах със стиховете и каламбурите му. Сега го виждам в леко по-различна светлина- в някои отношения не толкова революционен, колкото ми се струваше през 80-те години. Все така ме възхищава неговата прямота и истинските думи, с които нарича нещата,а някои от търсенията му са ми станали още по-близки с годините. Зарадвах се от това своеобразно завръщане към него.

[Larry Bassett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think of John Lennon as a thoughtful person of words and songs. This book which is a compilation of mostly very brief letters, actually many are postcards written by John, to friends, relatives and fans. The real meat of the book is the information provided by the author that proceeds each communication from John.

I was surprised to learn that John had two sons. One who was born when John was just beginning his career, and with whom he had very limited contact And communication. The second was born when he was in his late 30s with Yoko Ono, and who was five or six when he died.

The book deals quite a bit with the minutia of life and very little with the normal Beatle adulation in the world. It is an interesting view of a famous person, although it is very limited in its efforts of introspection. The book skims the surface of the life of John Lennon. But since I am little more than a casual fan of the group and of the individuals who made up the group, I found the book a satisfactory limited view of a person about whom are you really knew very little.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book in one sitting. A revealing portrait of an artist who has had such an influence in my life. A surprising facet was his connection to his family roots in the UK. He stayed in touch with aunts and cousins expressing his care and love for his family. He continually stated, "I'm just ME"! Loved this look at John in own letters, words, lists, etc. etc. . .

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to be in New York City when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame annex was still open and promoting their exhibit on John Lennon's years in the city. Like the mother museum in Cleveland, the annex also forbade photography so I'm unable to share images other than what I can describe. One display that particularly struck me was a collection of John and Yoko's writings. As my companion and I studied the entire case I noted with interest the snippets of Yoko's short, instructive poetry. "Would you look at that," I told my friend, "Yoko invented Twitter."

I've also read somewhere, and perhaps Yoko said it, that were John alive today he would have embraced social media and made frequent use of it. We can only imagine (sorry) an verified Twitter account for John or a Facebook page he might use as a soapbox for political and social commentary. Maybe, too, like George Takei he'd push the occasional funny LOL Cat picture, having had a fondness for felines toward the end of his life. It would be fun to follow him, but after having gone through The John Lennon Letters one has to wonder how much we have lost since the social media boom. A co-worker recently complained that one problem with smart phones and the rise of texting and photo sharing is that this growing activity nurtures a society of people who won't look each other in the eye. One could argue that a society that accepts information in 140 character increments may one day lose appreciation for the art of the letter, and conversation. This collection of Lennon's correspondence does more than offer the fan a more complete picture of the Beatle and activist, but reintroduces us through Lennon a fading culture.

Within this thick book you'll find an impressive collection of written history from Lennon's point of view: everything from memos to doodles, and postcards and short notes to more thoughtful letters. Many are personal and many are professional - if you have read earlier bios of Lennon and the Beatles, you may have seen some before. A few that strike out in memory include Lennon's early love letters to girlfriend/wife Cynthia Powell and a few scathing missives to Paul McCartney post-breakup.

Editor Davies, also a Beatles biographer and acquaintance of Lennon's, includes with each entry what information he could find behind each entry. While perhaps not a complete collection, Davies gives us the full spectrum of Lennon era, from youth to middle age. Reading some of these letters will reintroduce you to Lennon's quirky sense of humor while also showing a compassionate side other biographers don't always showcase so well. Just when you think you've read everything about Lennon, too, a newer book tends to offer a surprise or two. Without going into detail, I will add I found especially interesting what Lennon had predicted about his older son, Julian, as well as a sense of loyalty to his mother's relatives, with whom he corresponded when possible.

The John Lennon Letters has the look and feel of a coffee table book - you could probably jump back and forth reading the letters and notes, but reading all the way through creates a more rounded picture of Lennon by Lennon. If you are mostly a digital reader now, as I am, you'll find the price for hardcover well worth the investment.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like many in his generation, John Lennon wrote thousands of letters in his lifetime. This collection not only brings together letters, notes, lists, autographs, and other written work from John’s life, but these documents are assembled in an enlightening pseudo-biography.

The Bad:
- The book bares all - which can be both good and bad. I grew up idolizing John, and have become gradually disillusioned as I learn more about him. Before reading this book, I knew he wasn’t a particularly good husband to Cynthia, but I thought he and Yoko had a beautiful relationship. Somehow it slipped past me that during his marriage to Yoko, John spent several months with a mistress. This book has the power to shatter an idealistic perspective on John.

- At times I found the book somewhat boring. Davies often sets up an extensive background on one short note. Sometimes it seemed sort of pointless to include all this. Though I think it’s good for the book to be as complete as possible, I found myself skimming here and there.

- Hunter Davies is an obnoxious narrator - often talking about himself and his personal experience with the Beatles, even when it’s not really related.

The Good:
- As I mentioned, the book doesn’t just slap together the letters John wrote - each document is contextualized, and Davies adds information about what was happening to John at the time.

- This is a very thorough book, and gives a lot of insight into John’s life. I’ve read quite a few Beatles books, and I still learned new things from this one. It was fascinating to read his personal letters and to discover trends in his moods and writing style.

- The letters also contain a lot of small discoveries and mysteries. For example, the song Beautiful Boy is generally believed to be written for John’s younegest son Sean. But years before the song was released, John wrote his older son, Julian, a postcard with a lyric from the song.

- John often added drawings to his letters, which I found fascinating. They range from quick doodles to more advanced sketches, and some are so beautiful.

★★★★☆

This book is a gorgeous accomplishment, and for the most part, I loved it. There’s something beautiful about John fans and collectors coming together and contributing documents for the book. It was wonderfully written, and I even found myself tearing up in the end, when the letters stopped abruptly at John’s death.

This book is highly recommended for any Beatles fans, or those who want to know more about who John really was.

This review also appears at my book blog, Skyward Books.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an amateur Beatles historian, having access to a primary source of personal correspondence from John Lennon is amazing and wonderful, as well as quite important. These letters show all sides of John, particularly his intelligence, warmth, sense of humor, his uncontrollable wordplay, and sometimes his intense anger at perceived wrongs. They certainly haven't been censored or cherry-picked in any fashion.

Hunter Davies, the British journalist who conceived of this book and who did the vast amounts of research and proofreading necessary for its publication, has done a superior job at providing context and organizing the letters into different stages of John's life. He acknowledges that not all letters could be dated and urges readers with corrections, as well as those with unpublished letters of their own, to contact him. I did find at least one error of dating--a postcard that obviously, because of the inclusion of Sean's name, was written in 1975 or later, is mistakenly classified as 1971, probably due to the photo on the front. However, most of the letters seemed correctly placed.

An absolute must for serious Beatles fans/historians.

[Corey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woody Allen wrote a short comic piece once called "The Metterling Lists." Part of the joke of it was that it was the collected grocery lists of a great man. I was reminded of this as I finished "The John Lennon Letters" (edited by Hunter Davies). I was tempted-- briefly-- to pick at this book for its inconsequential notes and letters and for not living up to my expectations. I was hoping to find great correspondence between Lennon and other famous artists, and more love letters to Yoko. Instead it is full of postcards, memos to servants, a few short notes to fans, etc., literally ending with Lennon's grocery lists. And, of course, one already knows the windup is going to be sad. BUT I am such a huge fan of the man that, in the end, I was won over by the book, for its humility, for its fun and for its beauty (its physical beauty, hats off to the publisher Little, Brown.) You might have to be a Lennon worshiper to fully appreciate this collection, in toto, but, if you are, the rewards are similar to listening to the entire 5 CD set, "The Lennon Anthology."

[Troy Blackford · Rating 5 out of 5]

The letters collected here reveal all sides of John Lennon: his acerbic tongue, his relentless wordplay, his love of music, his mistrust of strangers, and his frustrations with society and himself, along a few unexpected things, like his surprisingly tender words about his supposedly unloved son Julian. A revealing glimpse into the mind of a man who is no longer around to explain himself.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely an interesting read. However, the doodles are what makes John Lennon's letters special, and with most of the letters typed out and not actually pictured, you never really get the full impression.

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

John wrote to Ringo more than to any other Beatle! (or at least there are more extant postcards). But only Paul rates long poison letters.

[Moth]

Read it when I was in college, this book pretty much covers everything about the legend.

[Gesine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of interest for hardcore fans only, but as one of them I enjoyed having so many of John's letters, postcards, lists, notes, scribblings collected in one place. Nice trip down memory lane.

[Melissa Chalhoub · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a really well made book, complete and thorough, however John Lennon is not one to wax lyrical in letters. It's a bunch of stream-of-consciousness piece of papers, filled with inside jokes between him and himself, with doodles. He talks about the influence of The Goon Show on him and Britain, and it feels like he always speaks in that voice. There are only a couple of genuine letters, one to Paul, one to Cynthia, and some to his cousin Liela, but mainly it feels like he's throwing random words on postcards and sending them to people all over the world.

Anyway, this book can be read as a John Lennon biography (as it was written by the writer of The Beatles' official biography, and a friend of John) it goes through all the phases of his life, with letters as documentation, and gives a lot of insight into the Beatles disintegration, his family life (in all its forms), and his (very brief phase of) activism.

I used to be obsessed with John Lennon (before I've even heard a Beatles album), I remember downloading a compilation of his work online, just to check him out, and having that album on loop for the next 6 months, and my love for his music just kept getting bigger and bigger. But, I'm glad I read this book, after I got a bit over him as a person, cause he's really so flawed, however good his intentions may be. I guess the book just shows how normal he was, however eccentric he might've seemed.

[5centreview · Rating 5 out of 5]

Това четиво е надникване в душата и ума на една легенда чрез писмата, които е писал на близки, семейство, приятели, врагове, колеги, фенове и непознати от ранна детска възраст до вечерта на 8.XII.1980г. Заслужава си отделянето на време за прочит и осмисляне, както от фенове на Ленън, така и от критично настроени симпатизанти (книгата умишлено бяга от скандалните епизоди и ги представя по-скоро сухо и документално, отколкото цветисто и подробно, и все пак е интересно поднесен проект за периодите на съзряване на един поет, плюс бонус рисунките на самия Ленън, с които е обичал да украсява писмата си)... Единствено не ми допада, че няма публикувани писма между него и Йоко, като се твърди, че такива няма запазени, тъй като са изгубени или откраднати, за да бъдат продадени на колекционери, но не ми се вярва особено.... Така, че няма публикувани романтични писма между двамата в това книжле, и все пак не отнемам звезда от рейтинга заради това...

[Simon Weinberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars if you are a big Beatles fan.
Slightly erratic in a few places, the book shines from its collection of memorabilia rather than from the explanatory text which is sometimes informative and sometimes not. One would have to read other books about his life to really learn something new about John (in particular in the NY period) but the contents do give an insight into the real John, his whacky humour and his heartfelt honesty.

[Esther Osorio · Rating 3 out of 5]

" All you need is love
Power to the people
Free al prisoners, Jail the judges
Love and peace
Get it on and rip 'em off!
John Lennon"

- New York, 4 December 1971

[Elena L · Rating 4 out of 5]

“All we are saying is give peace a chance.” ♥️