"Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it."
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John Lennon (John Winston Ono Lennon) | First Editions
1940 - 1980
John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980) was an English singer and songwriter who co-founded the Beatles, the most commercially successful band in the history of popular music. With fellow member Paul McCartney, he formed a lucrative songwriting partnership. He was murdered in 1980. As of 2012, Lennon's solo album sales in the United States exceeded 14 million and, as writer, co-writer, or performer, he is responsible for 25 number-one singles on the US Hot 100 chart. In 2002, a BBC poll on the 100 Greatest Britons voted him eighth and, in 2008, Rolling Stone ranked him the fifth-greatest singer of all time. He was posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987, and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, as a member of the Beatles in 1988 and as a solo artist in 1994.Lennon had a modest literary career, his love of wordplay and nonsense culminating in In His Own Write (1964). A Spaniard in the Works followed, in 1965. Skywriting by Word of Mouth, and Other Writings Including the Ballad of John and Yoko was published posthumously in 1986, and includes an afterword by Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono.
See below our stock of John Lennon First Editions, fine bindings, sets and other collectible material.
Results 1 - 12 (of 12)
The Lennon Play: In His Own Write.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1968. [Sixties Culture] FIRST EDITION. Small octavo (20 x 14cm), pp.35; [3], blank. Publisher's textured purple covers in a pictorial dust-wrapper, priced at 16s. A superb, fine copy. Book Collector No.287 (p32-62) 'The Sixties'. More about The Lennon Play: In His Own Write
Sometime in New York City.
Guildford: Genesis Publications, 1995. [Rock Music biography] LIMITED EDITION, SIGNED by Bob Gruen and Yoko Ono. No.1026 of 3500 copies. Folio. Illustrated throughout with photographs by Bob Gruen on matt art paper with traced overlays. Text by Yoko Ono and John Lennon. Original black leather over silkscreened aluminium boards, all... More about Sometime in New York City
In His Own Write.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1964. [Illustrated Verse] FIRST EDITION. Small octavo (18 x 14cm), pp.79; [1], blank. Illustrated by Lennon in his own amusing and unique style. Publisher's glossy blue covers with the famous portrait of Lennon by Robert Freeman to upper. Very discreet and unobtrusive owner name to top margin... More about In His Own Write
Skywriting By Word of Mouth. With an afterword by Yoko Ono.
London: Pan Books in association with Jonathan Cape, 1986. FIRST EDITION. Octavo (21 x 15cm), pp.200. Illustrated throughout. Publisher's pictorial boards without wrapper as issued. A clean, near fine copy. A collection of previously unpublished fiction and non-fiction written between 1968 and 1979 and illustrated by Lennon in his own... More about Skywriting By Word of Mouth. With an afterword by Yoko Ono
A Spaniard In The Works.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1965. FIRST EDITION. Duodecimo (18 x 14cm), pp.96. Publisher's laminated printed boards. Profusely illustrated with Lennon's idiosyncratic drawings. Slight marking to the top edge, lamination lifted slightly along the joints, some negligible scuffing to boards. Near fine. More about A Spaniard In The Works
A Spaniard In The Works.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1965. FIRST EDITION. Duodecimo (18 x 14cm), pp.96. Publisher's laminated printed boards. Profusely illustrated with Lennon's idiosyncratic drawings. Slight occasional foxing to the textblock and edges. Corners and spine ends slightly rubbed, usual laminate lifting to the joints, a few shallow scores to the boards. Very good. More about A Spaniard In The Works
A Spaniard In The Works.
London: Jonathan Cape, 1965. UNCORRECTED PROOF COPY IN DUSTWRAPPER, with various differences to the published version. Duodecimo (18 x 14cm), pp.96. Printed sheets, sewn, with blank endleaves, in a proof-only dust-wrapper. Profusely illustrated with Lennon's idiosyncratic drawings. A lovely fine copy, inside and out. The most important and obvious difference... More about A Spaniard In The Works
The Lennon Companion. Edited by Elizabeth Thomson and David Gutman
London; Sidgwick and Jackson 2002. FIRST EDITION thus. 273 pages, standard size, with photographic plates. Comprising twenty five years of comment from the likes of Tom Wolfe, Noel Coward, Kenneth Tynan, David Frost, Martin Amis, George Melly and Philip Larkin. Publisher's cloth in dustjacket. Very fine. More about The Lennon Companion. Edited by Elizabeth Thomson and David Gutman
Grapefruit. Works and Drawings by Yoko Ono. Introduction by John Lennon.
London: Peter Owen, 1970. Originally published as a limited edition of 500 copies [Tokyo, 1964], this is the FIRST EDITION in the English Language, being the first with contributions from John Lennon. Issued simultaneously with the New York Sphere printing. Small, square octavo, publisher's white cloth hardcovers in dust-jacket. A.... More about Grapefruit. Works and Drawings by Yoko Ono. Introduction by John Lennon
![Material relating to] Grapefruit. Works and Drawings by Yoko Ono. Introduction by John Lennon....](/pictures/thumb/48872.jpg?v=1521562936)
[Material relating to] Grapefruit. Works and Drawings by Yoko Ono. Introduction by John Lennon.
Tokyo and London: Wunternaum Press and Peter Owen, 1964, 1970. An important archive relating to the British publication of Yoko Ono's Grapefruit, comprising the true first edition limited to 500 copies [Tokyo, 1964] used for setting the UK edition; the UK publisher's file copy, being the first English language edition... More about Material relating to] Grapefruit. Works and Drawings by Yoko Ono. Introduction by John Lennon
Another Beatles Christmas Show.
[London]: NEMS Publications, 1964. [Rock and Pop music] ORIGINAL CONCERT PROGRAMME. Octavo (26 x 20cm), unpaginated. In soft paper covers, with cover illustrations by Lennon, showing various figures exchanging yuletide holly branches. Very light soiling to front panel otherwise a particularly crisp, fresh example. Programme for the second Beatles Christmas... More about Another Beatles Christmas Show
Six Modern One-Act Plays.
London: University of London Press, 1950. FIRST EDITION, thus. SIGNED BY JOHN LENNON. Octavo, pp.160. Publisher's softcovers. Some soiling and associated reading wear. An interesting school text-book borrowed by Lennon whilst a student at Quarry Bank School, Liverpool. Lennon has signed the lending stamp to the inside cover 'J[ohn] W[inston]..... More about Six Modern One-Act Plays
Results 1 - 12 (of 12)