Author signs $3.4m Beatles book deal

An author regarded as the world's leading authority on the Beatles has signed a £1.2m ($NZ3.4m) deal to write the defining history of the Fab Four after a fierce bidding war between publishers.

Mark Lewisohn, a cultural historian who has catalogued the entire Beatles-related recordings at Abbey Road and written The Complete Beatles Chronicle, is set to produce three volumes over the next 12 years. It is understood that the publishing house Little, Brown, part of Time Warner, fended off stiff competition from rivals, including the Harry Potter publishers, Bloomsbury, to acquire the trilogy.

Simon Trewin, of Peters Fraser and Dunlop, which represents Mr Lewisohn, declined to discuss the fee. But he insisted that the project was "a serious quality endeavour" which was why the bidding had been so intense.

"There will be many other books on the Beatles, but I think that this is the lasting word. The whole point of this book is that the Beatles are, were and will continue to be a cultural phenomenon unlike anything else the world has ever seen. It's not just a history of the Beatles, but of post-war British culture. "Mark is the person to bring the story to life. He's got a fantastic archive and is very well connected to all the people he needs to be to write the book. But it won't be official. And it's not a hagiography."The first volume is likely to be released in 2008, coinciding with Liverpool's year as city of culture. Subsequent volumes are expected to follow at four-yearly intervals.

Asked whether another book on the Beatles was necessary, Paul Gambaccini, the DJ and pop expert, said: "History will need it. They are the Mozart of our time and in 100 years from now people will be glad that Mark Lewisohn has done it. "He is the right person to do it and it's best to do so while the iron is still hot. Memories are still fresh and there can be corrections by survivors. This is a historical record so let's get it right."

The deal shows that more than three decades after the Beatles split up and 24 years after John Lennon was shot dead, interest in the band shows no signs of abating. This latest book comes only four years after the publication of The Beatles Anthology, which was billed as the official Beatles history through their own reminiscences. And there is a constant flurry of releases such as the compilation of number one hits and DVDs. But Mr Trewin said there had been particular interest because it was recognised this proposal was something special.

"What publishers are looking to invest in these days is something that is going to be quality on all levels."

Mark Lewisohn has also written a well-received biography of Benny Hill and a history of television comedy, but he is best known for writing on Liverpool's most famous sons. George Martin, the legendary Beatles' producer, once wrote that Mr Lewisohn ruled "supreme" among all those to have chronicled the band. "Time and again he has proven that he knows far more about what we did and when we did it than any of us."

- INDEPENDENT