With a Little Help from their Friends: New for 2025, a fun guide to the history and music of the Beatles, by Stuart Maconie

 

Publication April 7, 2026

You've got to respect and author who admits up front that he wrote this because, well, he wanted to write a book about the Beatles. I credit him for not taking the easy way out and doing some repetitive recap of their career. Instead, he takes another angle, taking a look at the people who came into the band members' lives, however long or short, and made a difference. You'll recognize some names and most likely be clueless as to some others but that's part of the charm. Through it all, it's an interesting, if occasionally too brief look at that angle of Beatlemania. I say brief because each gets a chapter, no more, no less, although there is obviously going to be some overlap. Author Stuart Maconie begins with the largely unknown Ivan Vaughn, who was the then young boy who introduced John and Paul way back when. He would later go on to become an academic and had some contact with the band but was not a major figure. It basically concludes that section of the book with a look at Allen Klein who, upfront, Maconie points at as the deciding factor in the band's breakup. Many would agree, I'm sure. 

Perhaps the strength of this book is the author's easy going, rather conversational tone and that you're not being asked to tackle heavy topics. I mean, do you really, really need to know about the then young officer tasked with ending the roof top concert? Maybe not, but it was fun to get some perspective on his unexpected role. That's the fun of it all, seeing how serendipity played into many events and the results. Did they all change the world? Nope. That was up to the four lads from Liverpool. But they did have a role and it was both fun and intriguing to be reminded how many things did work out perfectly as opposed to the negative encounters. 

This book isn't about the Beatles, mind you, but the people around them. Serious, long time fans will probably recognize many of the names or at least the role they played while less intense fans can just enjoy this for what it is, a fun trip to the past. Bottom line, I enjoyed it and hope to give it another read when time permits. Thanks #Abrams for giving me an early "ticket to ride" ("read"? Grin) back to this look at those in the Beatles' crowded past. I give the author kudos, too, for revealing his own personal favorite Beatle upfront as well as his sense of why the band is worth another book or two as the book winds down. Beatles fans, you definitely will want to read this one.