An exciting new Beatles book Looking Through You (just out through Omnibus Press in the UK, and soon to be published in the US) has hit our desk – and it is a treat:
Looking Through You – Rare & Unseen Photographs From The Beatles Monthly Archive presents a selection of over 300 images taken from the pages of the precious The Beatles Book Monthly magazine photo archive. The Beatles Book Monthly was, as it’s name suggests, a monthly instalment detailing what the Beatles were up to. It started in August, 1663 and continued for six years:
The magazine, through the lens of photographer, Leslie Bryce, had unrivalled access to the group throughout the 1960s. Bryce captured the band at work and at play in public but also behind the scenes in un-rehearsed situations resulting in what are unique and candid images.
With a selection of photos from the magazine (all taken between 1963 and 1968), many of the photos gathered for the book are previously unpublished or unseen, often un-cropped and in their original form. The quality of the images is great too because they all are printed from the original negatives:
One thing which strikes you as you flip through each of the carefully chosen and captioned images is that this new book will be a treasure trove for those interested in the band’s instruments and equipment. Take this photograph below of George Harrison for example. How many shots have we seen of the group using their customary Vox amplifiers – but here, in this rear view (taken at the Hammersmith Odeon Theatre in December, 1964), you can pick up some great additional details. You can almost read the amps actual model and serial numbers:
There are numerous shots like this – close-ups of the band’s instruments while on stage as well as a huge number of them at work in the studio, like this one taken at Abbey Road in November, 1965:
Looking Through You has only just come out in the UK and will see a US release soon. The UK edition comes as a cased and numbered 208-page limited edition of 3,000, designed by Lora Findlay with text by Andy Neill. Also in the package is a replica of a rare Beatles artefact associated with the magazine: the 1964 Beatles Book calendar, containing a further 12 photographs from the Beatles Monthly archive.
The book’s Facebook site is here.
FYI there is also a Beatles Book Photo Library available online with low-res, watermarked photographs available to view. There is a process for approaching the Archive about accessing high quality images.
Beatles Blog 
Has that last photo of John during the Paperback Writer sessions already been covered in the “Beatles with records” thread – with its copy of the Stones’ “Aftermath” sideways on the piano?
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Very good spotting there Michael. We didn’t pick that up until you pointed out that a copy of the Rolling Stones “Aftermath” LP is in fact propped up on the piano behind John Lennon in that shot. We did feature some other photographs taken on the same day here: https://beatlesblogger.com/2011/10/13/the-beatles-with-records-part-five-2/
You can clearly see the LP in the photos included in that post, but this one is also a contender for future instalments of “The Beatles With Records” series. Thank you for letting us know about it!
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Ah yes – I think I missed that instalment. It does however give some credence to the story that Ringo’s suggestion at the time for the title of their own (soon-to-be) new album should be “After Geography”!
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