British Beatles Fan Club - Competition

The Day John Met Paul

An Hour-by-Hour Account of How the Beatles Began
By Jim O'Donnell Published: May 2007

Publication to coincide with 50th anniversary of the day John and Paul first met.

Includes dozens of photographs to help recreate 1950s Liverpool.

"This is a book about a single day –- Saturday, July 6, 1957, the date that a teenager named John Lennon met a teenager named Paul McCartney in a place called Liverpool…"

Combining accurate reporting with colourful story-telling, The day John met Paul is a spellbinding, hour-by-hour account of the day when two boys, both passionate about music, met, talked, and, as we now all know, went on to form what became one of the world's best-loved bands. Both absorbing and memorable it is unlike the many other books that have been written on The Beatles over the years…

Told in the present tense, The day John met Paul is more than just an account of the interplay that took place between two boys. Rather, it seeks to capture the spirit of July 6th, 1957, providing a sense of what it was like to be alive at that time, at that fete, in Liverpool, in the UK. The amount of detail is astonishing -- all of it factual (despite the inevitable discrepancies that have formed in people's memories over time –- even John and Paul disagreed about when they first met!). In total Jim O'Donnell spent more than eight years seeking out and digging up information about this one single day. He interviewed hundreds of people, from the fete organiser to a local photographer, spent days wandering the streets of Liverpool and hours reconstructing what other events were happening around the globe during that twenty-four hour period.

"Once I started reading this book, I couldn't stop. This is a realistic portrayal of Lennon as a teenager. O'Donnell gets it right." Pete Shotton, John Lennon's best friend

Very much a people book, not a "superstar" book, O'Donnell's account provides an imaginative and unforgettable re-creation of a moment in music history. On the 6th July, 1957, John and Paul may have been just a couple of teenagers at a garden party but, as the world went on to witness, it was a single day that would change the face of music forever.

Jim O'Donnell is a veteran journalist and author. His books include The Rock Book, Born to Rock and Wonderful Tonight. He is editor of RockandRollJournal.com.

The day John met Paul – Jim O'Donnell
0-145-97933-1 978-04159-7933-7 Paperback £10.99

The Competition

To be in with a chance of winning a copy of this fabulous book, all you need to do is tell us the name of the Church where the fete was held where John and Paul met.

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The competition is now closed -- congratulations to our winner, Brian Durrant from London.

The Small Print

One entry per person - the closing date is Friday, 6th July 2007 at mid-day (BST) - the winner will be drawn at random from the correct entries - the winner will be contacted by email and asked for their address for mailing of the prize, the winner will then have one month to respond, after which time the prize will not be kept - the competition is not open to members of the BBFC committee - the judge's decision is final!

© 2008 British Beatles Fan Club