LENNON, John. In His Own Write (First edition)

London: Jonathan Cape, 1964. First edition, fourth impression (June 1964). Small quarto. pp. 96. Original blue boards, upper cover lettered in silver with photographic portrait of Lennon by Robert Freeman. A very good copy, the binding bright and clean, with only light wear and minor toning to the text block.

The first book by John Lennon and one of the most celebrated literary productions to emerge from the phenomenon of Beatlemania. First published in March 1964, the work sold in remarkable numbers and was reprinted several times within months of publication. Combining nonsense verse, short stories, comic sketches and surreal drawings, the book reveals Lennon’s extraordinary gift for wordplay and linguistic invention.

Richly illustrated throughout with Lennon’s own line drawings, In His Own Write displays influences ranging from Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll to the Liverpool humour tradition from which Lennon emerged. The volume contains many of his best-known pieces, including “I Remember Arnold”, alongside numerous whimsical illustrations that complement the playful and often subversive text.

Praised on publication by critics on both sides of the Atlantic, the book won the Foyle’s Literary Award and established Lennon as a writer of genuine originality beyond his musical career. Today it remains the most sought-after of Lennon’s literary works and an essential item for collectors of Beatles material, twentieth-century popular culture and modern illustrated books.

[WR]