150 Glimpses of The Beatles has a little something for everyone--tidbits from fans, personal Beatle-related experiences of the author, and stories any Beatles fan would know well, but often with a different perspective.

This title is probably a better read for the tried-and-true fan rather than a beginner, because it is non-linear and there are some stories that are told that you may need to have some background information on, but overall, it is a great read, and one that you can rush through, or sit with slowly one glimpse at a time.

It's amazing how the author managed to put so much wit and dedication into all of the information and research. The chapters are not always about the life of the fab four and their story to fame, but also about other little aspects related to each member or their impact as a group to some individuals and to the society in a bigger picture. Beatles fan or not, you will enjoy taking a look at these glimpses and find yourself back in the 60s, which to me is the golden period of music and style. Thank you for sending me a digital copy.

"In their neat black suits and ties, Brian Epstein and his personal assistant Alistair Taylor make their way down the eighteen steep steps into the sweaty basement on Mathew Street. Brian finds it ‘as black as a deep grave, dank and damp and smelly’. He wishes he hadn’t come. Both he and Taylor would prefer to be attending a classical concert at the Philharmonic, but curiosity got the better of them. Four young musicians saunter onto the stage."

Some of you may remember an American sci-fi show from the '80s, called Quantum Leap. In it, a physicist gets caught in his own quantum time machine, willy-nilly jumping from one historical moment to the next, taking over a person's body for a short while. Reading this book will have you, dear reader, quantum leaping through Beatles history.

The title captures pretty well what we have here - 150 short chapters, of moments in the Beatles' lives, in the lives of people around the Beatles, in the lives of the millions who loved their music. Some stories you will have heard before, although probably not as detailed, and if you're like me, most will be completely new to you.

"How, John wondered, would marijuana make them feel? ‘Good,’ said Dylan. He began to roll a joint, but was unexpectedly cack-handed."

Some chapters are short, a few a lot longer. What each chapter certainly has, is a real sense of presence. You feel part of the moment, making it so much more enjoyable. There are big moments (say, the Beatles appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show), and there are many more little moments, full of delightful little details (if all true - more on that later) that humanise these people.

"The two men are, consciously or unconsciously, versions of the two composers – Paul optimistic, self-confident, never short of advice, and John, primed to cause hurt –‘she said you hurt her so’– while in retreat from his own sense of guilt. Like so many subsequent Lennon/ McCartney songs, its energy comes from this intermingling of the dark and the sunny."

I was already thinking of reading a Beatles history when I came across 150 Glimpses, but which one to choose? The choice on offer is overwhelming. So I started on this book with some trepidation. It has taken me six months to read it (I do read several books at the same time, but even for me this is long), and I've loved every second of it. Whenever I felt a bit down, or one of the other books I was reading was getting too depressing, I would read a couple of chapters from 150 Glimpses, and without fail, it would cheer me up to no end.

"‘She was just seventeen – you know what I mean!’ sings Paul, to an audience largely composed of young girls who probably have no idea what he means."

I've seen some reviews saying there are quite a few factual faults in the book, dates that don't work, how the Beatles weren't at the locations some of the chapters purport they were. I find myself not really caring. What Brown has done here is basically assimilate a huge amount of data from a wide range of sources, and picked what he deemed interesting, or funny, or moving. There are bound to be errors, and while it would've been better if those had been corrected, they won't change the essence of what makes the book so enjoyable.

It's a Beatles book full of life, a little brick-sized time machine. Oh boy.

Yes, I was there from the start of U.S. Beatlemania, listening to Cousin Brucie on my transistor radio, and sitting on the floor to watch the appearances on Ed Sullivan. You'd think we'd all heard all the stories to be told about the Beatles by now. And many of the vignettes presented by Craig Brown are familiar. Some of the more UK-centric were new to me, and the ones where opinions vary are presented even-handedly.

It's rather like sitting with a friend, who's an excellent storyteller, and chatting about beloved mutual friends-- well, with abundant footnotes and sourcing, as befits decent journalism. We've been discussing the lads from Liverpool for over fifty years, and still haven't run out of material.

This is just what it sounds like, 150 anecdotes or stories or snippets of information about the Beatles. I read it here and there between other books. It was interesting, lots of things I never knew, although I am one generation removed from Beatlemania and so maybe not as well informed as someone who has been a fan for the past 50-60 years. I enjoyed it a lot, and I am genuinely impressed at the amount of research and organization that writing this book must have required. I think the biggest shock or realization for me was how YOUNG they were during the existence of The Beatles as a whole. George, the youngest, would only have been 27 in 1970 when they split. Good book, four stars.

I've loved The Beatles since the first moment I heard them and I always enjoy books about them. This book is very well researched and though I've heard many (most?) of the stories before, I enjoyed every bit of it. I never get tired of learning more about my all-time favorite band!!

The author did a good job of balancing the stories and providing whimsical bits along with the more serious. He doesn't dwell on 'negative' aspects but also doesn't gloss over them. The book - to me - provides a comprehensive look at the greatest band in history!! (OK - I admit I'm biased!)

I have probably read 10 books about The Beatles, but even still Craig Brown's book had several amazing stories I had never read anywhere else. I wasn't expecting to learn so much. Really enjoyable book. Sure, I think the book would be a little better if it was 135 Glimpses of the Beatles, so feel free to skip ahead on some chapters if they don't grab you right away. This book is great for anyone wanting to learn more about the Beatles or the 1960s. Really fun.

Netgalley supplied me with a free e-copy of this book in return for this review.

I think this is the best book about the Beatles I read so far. It's well researched and well written and highly entertaining keeping you hooked till the end.
It's a collections of "glimpses" and I learned something new and get to know better other side of this great band.
It's strongly recommended to any Beatles fan.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

What a fun book about the Beatles! I must confess that it is my first Beatles book, but maybe not the last! I have enjoyed their music over the years, but seem to have learned to appreciate it even more in the last few years. This book really helped that. I learned a lot of fun and interesting facts about them as people and their music. The pictures were very nice too. It was well written and it really kept my interest. I hope that this book will bring more people to listen to the Beatles music and learn to love it, too!

At almost 600 pages this is not your traditional biography. Craig Brown, literally takes snippets of different events of The Beatles through their youth until the break up. Some of these “glimpses” are from the points of views from, John, Paul, George and Ringo, but a lot of this comes from insights from people in their circle, celebrities and fans.

This was such a fun read. Not every chapter will resonate with you, but there was so much goodness. I found myself highlighting stories from, Kieth Richards, Billy Joel and so much more.

I personally thought I knew a lot about the Beatles, and for the first third of the book, I was like I know all this. However, once Craig Brown starts to get into more of this book he brings rich stories and insights and a lot of facts I had never know.

This would be a fun read for the casual Beatles fans or even the know-it-alls. It is long, but is something you don’t have to read all at once. Take a chapter here or there and I think you will come out knowing just a tad more about this infamous band.

Thank you NetGalley and Farrar Straus and Giroux for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Beatles were The Beatles for such a short period of time that it is almost incomprehensible how influential they were and how their music changed in their time together. A mostly fascinating book, that skips through their time together using little vignettes. At 592 pages I think it's fair to ask if it needed to be that long, my answer is no. There are lots of chapters that don't tell us much about The Beatles. Still an interesting account of their time together.

Tell me, how could anyone go wrong with the Fab Four? Another winner to add to my Beatles collection!

Loved this collection of stories. It was hard to put down, downright enjoyable, and perfect for any Beatles fan! Really looking forward to sharing this with readers.

Wow - what a book! I am a huge fan and I love reading about them. What fascinates me the most are the stories behind the song lyrics.
Knowing every word and musical nuance, I am once again listening with new ears. This book is a must-read for fans.

In the past couple of years there have been several new Beatles books released, some of which I've rated 5 Stars because they delivered on the topic presented- such as documenting the end of The Beatles, last performance on the roof of Apple Corp., or the recording of their final album "Abbey Road" on a brand new solid state sound board. I wasn't quite sure what I was getting here based on the title of the book, but being an amateur Beatles historian and lifelong Beatles fan, I delved right in. I got a heck of a lot more than I bargained for! Dare I say, this is the most magical and joyous fact-filled Beatles book I've read in many years! I am grateful for any new slant of information I can garner on one of my favorite subjects, having owned and read (and in some cases not yet read) many Beatles books over four decades. This Beatles book clocks in at almost 600 pages (and felt like it...but in a good way), and I marvel at the breadth of research the author did to achieve such a unique perspective.

First of all, the author takes you on a straightforward linear journey through the full history of The Beatles, but interspersed between those chapters are other "Glimpses" of The Beatles that add a spectrum of light to your current Beatles knowledge. There are so many delightful examples, but I'm going to share just a few that tickled my fancy.

When I visited Liverpool in 1999, I boarded a genuine vintage Magical Mystery Tour bus which took us around to all the pertinent Beatles sites. We would disembark at each site, handing our cameras to the tour guide who would take a picture of each individual standing in front of the historical site. One such landmark Beatles site was at 20 Forthlin Road, one in the row of council houses that Paul McCartney last lived in with his parents James and Mary McCartney. John and Paul wrote several early hits right here in the living room such as "I Saw Her Standing There". One of the "Glimpse" chapters recounts a tour the author took inside the home (not available when I visited) where he rebelled against the rule of not taping the tour guide with his phone, and discussed in detail how the home was reverted back to looking as it did when Paul last lived there in the early sixties. For instance, the old porcelain kitchen sink had been cast into the yard, used as a receptacle for plants. Also, the front window had been updated, so was switched out to the old original with the cooperation of a neighbor across the street.

Another quirky "Glimpse" chapter revisited a violent incident that unfortunately occurred at Paul McCartney's 21st birthday celebration. The Beatles were newly famous, so it was elected to have the bash in the yard of one of Paul's aunties in Liverpool. Band members from other famous groups drifted in, which The Beatles internally marvelled at, having only just hit the big time themselves. However, John was drinking heavily and his dark and dangerous side was simmering. When Bob Wooler (band announcer at The Cavern) made what he thought was a humorous comment to John, John practically beat him to a bloody pulp. There have been so many books written by friends and family of The Beatles over the years, that there were all kinds of different versions of how this incident played out. So, they are all listed one after the other, and this violent occurrence takes on a whimsical effect when you consider all the different variations of what happened.

The last "Glimpse" I'll share is a commonly known one, when The Beatles played their last public concert on the roof of their business entity Apple Corp. which was on Savile Row in London. This was a street of pricey bespoke tailor shops and other businesses, and soon irate phone calls were received by the police station because of the noise. So here is a personal recounting from a young police officer, sharing how none of the police wanted to do anything like arrest The Beatles, and how they went up to the roof. He couldn't believe it when he was suddenly standing near Ringo. Well, this young police officer became Princess Diana's personal protection officer in 1988. His name? Ken Wharfe.

As I've mentioned before in my other Beatles biography reviews, there is a sense of sadness for me with books covering their final years. This book took me on the entire journey, as my heart glowed and soared while the author pored over every inch of their history. I loved every minute of it. There are a lot of shiny prisms of light to The Beatles history offered here, and I would proudly stand this worthy tome next to my all time favorite Beatles book, Shout! The Beatles in Their Generation by Philip Norman.

This book is fantastic! I particularly enjoyed the scathing observations of the National Trust tour that the author endured in his exploration, following in the footsteps of the Beatles. Part author experience, part Beatle history this book is a fresh look at the lives of the Fab Four.

I ran an interview with the author of this book in our 11 newspapers and websites. I ran an interview with the author of this book in our 11 newspapers and websites. I ran an interview with the author of this book in our 11 newspapers and websites.

This book was pure pleasure from start to finish. I had read and enjoyed Craig Brown’s 2018 book, 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret, but I thought 150 Glimpses of the Beatles was even better, mainly because I was more interested in the subject—and I am someone who likes the Beatles’ music but is by no means a super fan. As in his earlier book, Brown plays with the conventions of biography writing; his “glimpses” (chapters) do not follow any sort of chronological order and often only peripherally involve the Beatles, such as the fascinating glimpse of the comedy duo who had the misfortune of appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show the same night as the Beatles’ first appearance or some hilarious glimpses of Brown reporting from some of the many Beatles tours peddled in Liverpool and around the world. I came away with a new appreciation of the Beatles, both their music and their impact on the music and social scenes of the 1960s, and a treasure trove of fun Beatles facts. Did I love it? Yeah, yeah, yeah, YEAH!

Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with an ARC of this title in return for my honest review.

I've been a fan of the Beatles since the beginning. I haven't had time to toss on a record by them in eons, but my interest in them was renewed over the winter by the movie Yesterday- what a baby boomer film! Anyway, it renewed my interest in the band and once again I made a point of retrieving and playing my beater old Beatle records! Now I know it's not possible to know everything little thing about a person, especially one you don't know, but I think I've read everything that's ever been written on the Beatles (well, maybe not...) Then this book came along. Suddenly, there's a whole lot I either do not remember (life does get in the way) OR there's really a lot more out there! Mr. Craig Brown has really done his homework here! He's gone to a lot more trouble of researching the Beatles then I ever would have given thought to do myself! I enjoyed this story; it brought back loads of happy memories of our early years- theirs and mine- when life was so much more fun! Thank you, Mr. Brown!

A fascinating collection of stories about the Beatles. A must for fans of the band, but also recommended for anyone with an interest in the times covered.