Tag Archives: Photographs

A couple of weeks ago, I was talking with my neighbor, Janice, and she mentioned that she occasionally reads my blog. <insert jaw-drop> She asked if she could borrow my copy of “Daddy Come Home” by Pauline Lennon and then offered me her copy of Linda McCartney’s Sixties: Portrait of an Era (1993) as collateral. I explained that I trusted her (and I know where she lives) and wouldn’t need collateral, but then I though to myself, “Oh…what the hell!” And I’m glad I did!

I’m really not one for picture or coffee table books. Maybe it’s because I hate dusting and because I’m not a Beatles collector. But, I do like my Beatles books, so I thought I’d thumb through this. It was surprising to me that this wasn’t just a picture book filled with Linda’s photos and quick captions. She tells about how she met each band or singer, her time with them, where the photos were taken and tidbits about the friendships she developed along the way. I also found it interesting when she talked about her techniques for taking the photos.

I was also genuinely surprise at the who’s who list of 60’s artists that she met and photographed prior to meeting Paul McCartney and the Beatles. Jimi Hendrix, Janice Joplin, The Who, The Mamas & the Papas, Ray Charles, etc. And yes, she does talk about when and how she met Paul McCartney and includes with the story her photographs of the Beatles. In the last pages, are included several intimate, sweet, portraits of Paul with their daughters Mary and Heather.

I don’t know if my neighbor remembered that she had put a newspaper clipping in this book of Linda McCartney’s obituary. Just knowing that Linda has passed makes this book almost heartbreaking to take in while reading her words and stories. Still, it’s a great legacy to leave the rest of us Beatles fans. I think it’s a great book for those who, like myself, have never really gotten to know who Miss Eastman was before she became Mrs. McCartney. And for that reason…

I rate this book, 4 out of 4 Beetles!

You can find used hardcover copies of this book on Amazon for under $10 and paperbacks on Half.com for under $5.