Beatles Illustrated Lyrics by Beatles (1969, Book, Illustrated)

The original Beatles Illustrated Lyrics (1969) was published in softcover because the Beatles wanted the book to be affordable for everyone. The more expensive hardcover came later as a compilation, including material from BIL Volume 2, a follow-up paperback. Some of the pieces in the second volume never made it into the hardback edition, so for the discriminating collector, the first edition paperbacks in good condition are foundational. The paperback covers feature artwork by the project's creator, Alan Aldridge -- dubbed "his royal master of images" by John Lennon -- who also contributed many of the book's most appealingly trippy illustrations. The hardback with dustcover illustration from the first paperback are the most desirable of various editions that have followed. Most of the subsequent reprints have dustcover art by other artists. Regardless of which edition you buy, however, this is one of the essential books on pop music art and a classic celebration of the Sixties' zeitgeist.