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Philip Norman

SHOUT!

The True Story of The Beatles

£100

Illustrated by Terry O'Neill

Introduced By the author

Packed with Terry O’Neill’s evocative photographs, this definitive Beatles biography gets the Folio treatment. Philip Norman’s forensic, funny and brilliantly written portrait captures the chaos and charisma of the Fab Four – a must-read for music lovers, Beatlemaniacs and anyone fascinated by the band that changed everything.

Perfect Additions

The Fight​
Norman Mailer
Slouching Towards Bethlehem
Joan Didion

SHOUT!

£100
Book Details
 
Production DetailsBound in screen-printed and blocked cloth
Slipcase wrapped in printed and blocked textured paper with a design by Luke Bird
Printed and bound at Gomer Press Ltd., Llandysul, Wales
Dimensions10 inches x 6¾ inches
FontTypeset in
Pages496
AuthorPhilip Norman
Illustrated byTerry O'Neill
Illustration15 black and white photographs
Frontispiece and photographic endpapers
Publication Date21/10/2025
PrintingFirst Printing
Editor's Notes
 
One of the great music biographies, and widely considered to be the definitive book on The Beatles, Shout! was first published in 1981, many years after the group broke up and each went their separate ways. By this time, their story had been mangled in the retelling, reduced to half-truths and semi-myths – but the actual truth still remained to be told.

In his research, Philip Norman tracked down a huge number of major and minor players, including George Martin (their producer), Mimi Smith (Lennon’s aunt and guardian), Mike McCartney (Paul’s younger brother), Brian Epstein’s mother, the doorman at the Cavern and countless others. The resulting biography is fascinating and forensic in its detail, beautifully told and full of literary depth.

The author has thoroughly revised and updated the text for our edition, and provided a brand-new introduction. We’ve included the wonderful photographs of Terry O’Neill – one of the great Beatles photographers – who encountered them early in their career, and our cover and slipcase by Luke Bird are bright and bouncy with a Sixties vibe. All the elements feel just right for a book about the Fab Four who, as the author so aptly described, were ‘perhaps the greatest engine for human happiness the world has ever known’.

About the Photographer

Terry O'Neill

Terry O'Neill (1938–2019) is one of the world's most collected photographers, with work hanging in national art galleries and private collections worldwide. From presidents to pop stars, he photographed on the frontlines of fame for over six decades.

O'Neill began his career at the birth of the 1960s, chronicling the emerging faces of the film, fashion and music scenes that would go on to define the Swinging Sixties. By 1965, he was being regularly commissioned by the biggest magazines and newspapers in the world.

No other photographer has embraced, in such detail, the spectrum of fame, capturing the icons of our age: from Winston Churchill to Nelson Mandela, singers from Frank Sinatra and Elvis to Amy Winehouse, big-screen stars from Audrey Hepburn and Brigitte Bardot to Nicole Kidman, modern supermodels from Naomi Campbell to Kate Moss, and almost every incarnation of James Bond, from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig.

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About the Photographer

Terry O'Neill

Terry O'Neill (1938–2019) is one of the world's most collected photographers, with work hanging in national art galleries and private collections worldwide. From presidents to pop stars, he photographed on the frontlines of fame for over six decades.

O'Neill began his career at the birth of the 1960s, chronicling the emerging faces of the film, fashion and music scenes that would go on to define the Swinging Sixties. By 1965, he was being regularly commissioned by the biggest magazines and newspapers in the world.

No other photographer has embraced, in such detail, the spectrum of fame, capturing the icons of our age: from Winston Churchill to Nelson Mandela, singers from Frank Sinatra and Elvis to Amy Winehouse, big-screen stars from Audrey Hepburn and Brigitte Bardot to Nicole Kidman, modern supermodels from Naomi Campbell to Kate Moss, and almost every incarnation of James Bond, from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig.

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About the Photographer

Terry O'Neill

Terry O'Neill (1938–2019) is one of the world's most collected photographers, with work hanging in national art galleries and private collections worldwide. From presidents to pop stars, he photographed on the frontlines of fame for over six decades.

O'Neill began his career at the birth of the 1960s, chronicling the emerging faces of the film, fashion and music scenes that would go on to define the Swinging Sixties. By 1965, he was being regularly commissioned by the biggest magazines and newspapers in the world.

No other photographer has embraced, in such detail, the spectrum of fame, capturing the icons of our age: from Winston Churchill to Nelson Mandela, singers from Frank Sinatra and Elvis to Amy Winehouse, big-screen stars from Audrey Hepburn and Brigitte Bardot to Nicole Kidman, modern supermodels from Naomi Campbell to Kate Moss, and almost every incarnation of James Bond, from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig.

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About the Photographer

Terry O'Neill

Terry O'Neill (1938–2019) is one of the world's most collected photographers, with work hanging in national art galleries and private collections worldwide. From presidents to pop stars, he photographed on the frontlines of fame for over six decades.

O'Neill began his career at the birth of the 1960s, chronicling the emerging faces of the film, fashion and music scenes that would go on to define the Swinging Sixties. By 1965, he was being regularly commissioned by the biggest magazines and newspapers in the world.

No other photographer has embraced, in such detail, the spectrum of fame, capturing the icons of our age: from Winston Churchill to Nelson Mandela, singers from Frank Sinatra and Elvis to Amy Winehouse, big-screen stars from Audrey Hepburn and Brigitte Bardot to Nicole Kidman, modern supermodels from Naomi Campbell to Kate Moss, and almost every incarnation of James Bond, from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig.

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About the Photographer

Terry O'Neill

Terry O'Neill (1938–2019) is one of the world's most collected photographers, with work hanging in national art galleries and private collections worldwide. From presidents to pop stars, he photographed on the frontlines of fame for over six decades.

O'Neill began his career at the birth of the 1960s, chronicling the emerging faces of the film, fashion and music scenes that would go on to define the Swinging Sixties. By 1965, he was being regularly commissioned by the biggest magazines and newspapers in the world.

No other photographer has embraced, in such detail, the spectrum of fame, capturing the icons of our age: from Winston Churchill to Nelson Mandela, singers from Frank Sinatra and Elvis to Amy Winehouse, big-screen stars from Audrey Hepburn and Brigitte Bardot to Nicole Kidman, modern supermodels from Naomi Campbell to Kate Moss, and almost every incarnation of James Bond, from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig.

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Author image

About the Author

Philip Norman has an international reputation as a chronicler of pop music and culture. Shout! (Folio 2025), his groundbreaking biography of The Beatles, first published in 1981, has been continuously in print ever since. He went on to write definitive biographies of the Rolling Stones, Elton John, Buddy Holly, John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Sir Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and George Harrison. Also an award-winning writer of fiction, he was one of the first Top 20 Young British Novelists. His latest non-music book is We Danced On Our Desks: Brilliance and Backstabbing at the Sixties’ Most Influential Magazine (2022).

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