A dream-come-true for any Beatles fan or collector, this is the only up-to-date, complete, accurate Beatles record reference published to date. The only books in the Beatles literature that can compare with the quality and value of this volume are those written by Mark Lewisohn, particularly his "COMPLETE BEATLES CHRONICLE." Wiener's book, unlike Lewisohn's, includes every recording the Beatles ever made, both as a group and later as individual solo artists. It also includes all of their unreleased recordings, of which there are hundreds ranging from studio outtakes to crude home demos, rehearsals, concerts, radio and television appearances, and even recorded interviews. Of even greater value is the listing of dozens or bootleg records and CDs on which these rarities and curiosities can be heard. With the exception of the recent "ANTHOLOGY" releases, the book is a complete, accurate guide to all known Beatles recordings, and at an incredibly low price. The book is divided into several well-organized sections, including a recording chronology of their released material, U.S. and British discographies, a chronology of unreleased recordings and bootleg releases of them, a list of alternate versions (there are an amazing number of these), rare special releases, plus appendixes listing guest appearances by the Beatles on other artists' recordings, and video releases. There are a number of other Beatles references that claim expertise for their authors and accuracy and completeness of information, but these must be viewed as "pretenders" when stacked up against Wiener or Lewisohn; they are the class in their league.
Betty Mitchell