This remarkable piece of John Lennon memorabilia belongs to Mike Lines of Mister M's Barber Shop in Old Christchurch Road, Bournemouth.
Not content with owning a barber chair from Horne Brothers in Liverpool where Dezo Hoffman photographed the boys having their hair cut as Ringo said farewell to his Tony Curtis quiff forever, Mike also has this book, The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda Vol V, which John gave to Mimi in 1969.
"It came out of Aunt Mimi's home at Sandbanks," says Mike. "Apparently she wanted the books out of the bungalow - I was told she didnlt like the idea of John getting into the subject matter.
"She either gave or sold them to a local gardener who later sold them to a collector he became friends with. The collector is now deceased, but his widow sold some of his collection. I gather that one of the books went Stateside and another was bought by a musician who had a number one hit in the 1970s. I have been asked not to say who it is, so I have to respect that."
Intriguing, but you can't help but be impressed that Mike has kept the book so carefully that he has even preserved the dust and fluff in the well of the signed page.
"There are bits that will fall out of the book if I were to turn it upside down and whilst they're most likely to be insect excrement as opposed to John's hash or toast crumbs, I would like to leave them in."
Mike, we salute you sir!
- Visit the marvellous Mister M's Barber Shop at www.bournemouthbarbers.co.uk
- Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Beatles & Bournemouth can be ordered here.
- An exhibition of photos from the book and other Bournemouth-related Beatles memorabilia continues at the Bournemouth International Centre until 5 September.
Another day, another mystery Beatles photo...
This picture emerged online recently and was apparently taken in August 1963 in the ballroom at the Palace Court Hotel in Bournemouth. It's a rare shot of Paul in a hat, possibly crooning as John, George and Ringo tickle the ivories on the hotel piano.
Scouring the photo for evidence doesn't throw up a great deal. The clothes look like others worn in photos taken in Bournemouth during the week of 19-24 August 1963 when The Beatles played a summer season at the Gaumont Theatre in Bournemouth and stayed at the Palace Court Hotel, but they're fairly generic examples of Beatles garb of the time.
Just as plausible is that it was taken on the set of A Hard Day's Night and there are photos by the boys' old Hamburg running mate Astrid Kerchher of John on the film set wearing a bowler hat just like the one sported by Paul here.
Does anyone know any better. If so we'd love to find out...
The Beatles Days roadshow reconvenes at the Beacon Hotel in Bournemouth on Sunday from 10am for another voyage deep into the heart of Beatles memorabilia and story-swapping.
Last summer the estimable Steve and Gloria Holmes stopped off in Bournemouth to help launch Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Beatles & Bournemouth and are looking forward to their return visit. Since then they've been all over Europe and the States, picking up new Beatles collectables and a host of great stories to share.
Signed copies of Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Beatles & Bournemouth will be available to buy alongside all manner of Beatles-related merchandise, music and much more besides.
The Beacon Hotel (formerly The Bournebeat) is at 12 Priory Road, Bournemouth and the Beatles Days roadshow will be in the main bar until 4pm.
Copies of Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Beatles & Bournemouth are also available from www.beatlesandbournemouth.com.
Can anyone shed any more light on this mystery photo that was unearthed by Facebooker Shaun Weiss and given to Billy J Kramer?
The shot dates from August 1963 and shows Billy J with The Beatles in what some Facebook posters think might very well be Bournemouth Pleasure Gardens.
Obviously, we know all about The Beatles and Billy J Kramer being in Bournemouth for a six day summer season on the Gaumont from 19-24 August, but was the photo taken in the town's Victorian Gardens?
It's tempting to think so and there's no denying it's a great photo.
However, it wasn't long before the estimable Bill Harry identified the load being shared by George, Paul and Ringo as Bobby's Girl hit singer Susan Maughan.
Although she wasn't averse to appearing in panto and summer season shows, no amount of research could place Ms Maughan in Bournemouth that summer.
Instead, I discovered The Beatles and Billy J Kramer went to the Melody Maker Awards on 10 September 1963 where From Me To You was named Vocal Disc of the Year.
The final piece of the jigsaw was finding two more photos from the same session in a Tumblr account held by a young Beatles obsessive called The Gilly. They were copied from Tim Hill's book, The Beatles: Then There Was Music.
A shame the photos didn't turn out to be taken in Bournemouth, but it's always a pleasure to embark on a magic mystery tour of Beatles ephemera.
Copies of Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Beatles & Bournemouth are on sale at the box office at Bournemouth International Centre while the Beatles In Bournemouth exhibition continues in the Bourne Lounge until 5 September.
The book can also be ordered at a special price from the official website as can art prints of a selection of the rare and previously unpublished images featured in the book.
