Lennon Legend : An Illustrated Life of John Lennon

by James Henke

Following the best selling THE BEATLES ANTHOLOGY comes the ultimate John Lennon book. A rich tapestry of his life and the music that made him famous, this innovative, interactive book features removable facsimilies of hand-written lyrics, drawings and unseen photographs, documents and letters as well as a CD containing more than ninety minutes of interviews recorded with Lennon before his death. Written by James Henke of the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, it is the first complete picture of John Lennon, from his early days at art school to the height of Beatlemania to IMAGINE, to be authorised by his widow, Yoko Ono Lennon. John Lennon's importance as a musucian and an icon have grown since his death. No fan will be able to do without this extraordinary book.

Hardcover

Published January 1, 2003

About the author

James Henke was a writer, music editor and eventually managing editor at Rolling Stone before becoming the first curator at the Rock and Roll of Fame, where he served for 19 years.

Reviews

[Sayo -bibliotequeish- · Rating 5 out of 5]

These types of coffee table books have become increasingly popular and I have multiple John Lennon or Beatles books of this style, most of them given as gifts as they are the perfect gift for any Beatles fan.

Pictures, bits of information along with posters and inserts.

[William Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

[BRANDON · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely essential for any John Lennon fan. The people who put this and other iconic musicians (I have the Bob Dylan one, I know there's a Bob Marley one and maybe even a Cobain one, not sure) do such a great job by including replicas of rare promotional material, tickets, a "WAR IS OVER" poster, and so much more (including lyrics on napkins and cartoons) that these make really amazing books. It includes a GREAT audio disc which I lost several years ago that includes an hour or so of Lennon interviews in 1980, right before he died. And he was just as witty and smart at 40 when he died, and looking back at the 60's after coming out of his 5 year retirement to promote Double Fantasy and Milk and Honey (which is a Biblical Astro-theology). And the disc ends with a rare live performance of "Imagine." I remember exactly where I was and who I was with when I played this and it's still great to look at all the neat little things in this book. The Bob Dylan book unfortunately only goes up to 1965 early 1966, but THIS book really does justice to Lennon's life with and without The Beatles. So grab your NuTopian flag (included in the book) and check this book out. Absolutely worth it.
"We all shine on, like the moon and the stars and the sun"

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

To put the life of an icon, such as Lennon, into one book seems ridiculous to me but this was a good one. It added his scribblings, report cards, artwork, and of course his thoughts and life history. By the time I was finished, I felt I knew him. Not an easy person to get along with but certainly genuine and if honesty was his downfall, than I know John is happy in heaven. RIP good man.

[Kate Popova · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's just the best biography book I've ever seen and read. This book is just a masterpiece. Great work. A must-have for all John Lennon, The Beatles, Yoko Ono fans or just for people who are interested in art, history, 60s and 70s.

[♫mccartney♫ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book because it not only tells about John Lennon's life, It also containts replicas of Johns actual possessions. It was very interesting to read, and explore.