I Me Mine: The Extended Edition

George's book is too self centered, it barely speaks of The Beatles, that are the one thing that made him. Another detail, that may be considered good or bad, is that he explains each and every song he made. It consumes half the book, but it's interesting.

George's book is too self centered, it barely speaks of The Beatles, that are the one thing that made him. Another detail, that may be considered good or bad, is that he explains each and every song he made. It consumes half the book, but it's interesting.

Nice used book, no scribbles on it, the only "problem" (is not a problem, I just couldn't find a better word) is that one page was cut, as if someone cutted some stamp or something, but it's in a page that is not relevant, so this didn't really bothered me. Used books have stories, so I don't care :)

At times silly, a times profound.
At times spiritual, at times an acid-trip.
At times biographical, at times a fantasy.
A bit of Liverpool, a bit of London, also Hamburg.
A bit of India, California, Virgin Islands and Hawaii,
Even New York.

There are enough memorable quotes in this volume to plough through the stranger moments,
And there is enough humor in the strange moments to keep you entertained,
After all Eric Idle is here as well.

At first I was ignoring the facsimiles of the handwritten lyrics,
But then I was drawn to them to see how some of these songs evolved.

I enjoyed the book. I think it's mainly for the die-hard Harrison fan, one who knows most of his songs. I connected better with his comments when I knew the song than the tunes I didn't know.

I was a huge Beatles fan (saw them twice), but not as big a George fan in the post-Beatles days, other than his "hits." Also I became a follower of Jesus about the time he became a follower of Krishna, so much of his material was foreign to me. But like I said, if I knew the song, I enjoyed his comments about it more.

As a songwriter, I enjoyed learning about George's songwriting process. I have similar scraps of paper laying around the house, with scratch marks through words, and new lyrics in the margins. It's nice to know George was not perfect. That he struggled with his songs, too.

I genuinely enjoyed this book, as George is my second-favorite Beatle and my favorite solo Beatle. The pages and pages of handwritten original lyrics are also priceless. Unfortunately, the book ultimately fell a bit short for me. I really wished that the opening autobiographical section (partly written by Derek Taylor) had been longer and more detailed. Sure, most fans aren't that keen to hear the same story over and over and over again, but the book still could have been longer even without a rehashing of the old familiar Beatle history. Where, for example, is more information on George's marriages, his relationships with other musicians, or the founding of his Dark Horse Records label? After the section on his early years, it tends to jump around a lot. Nonlinear narrative doesn't really work in a biography or autobiography. It's also baffling as to why the captions for the photos are located pages later instead of right underneath each individual photo.

The longest section of the book consists of reproduced handwritten copies of many of his lyrics, along with commentary. It's interesting to see the types of paper he used for writing, like record sleeves, hotel stationary, regular notebook paper, and pages from a daily calendar. Also of note is how the lyrics are reproduced exactly as they were written, complete with some orthographical or grammatical errors. (One frequent one I noticed was that George, like many people, often used your and you're interchangeably, which is kind of embarrassing for someone of his stature.) Reading the comments helped me to appreciate or understand some of these songs a bit more (such as the ones from the abysmal 'Extra Texture'), and some of them finally cleared up lines I'd been mishearing for years. There were though a number of songs I wish he'd seen fit to write more about, instead of only providing a couple of lines or a short paragraph.

Still, in spite of the book's shortcomings, George's special unique personality shines through in spades. It really helps to provide insight into what he believed, what he felt was important, his sense of humor, and the type of person he was.

Since Harrison has unfortunately passed away, this book will probably be the only one of its sort to be published...the first hand words of Beatle George Harrsion. As such, it is an imperfect document. George does not use an "assistant" writer and therefore the book tends to meander and be a bit unbalanced, but the benefit is that the voice coming through is pure Harrison.

Ok, so maybe that's not enough (though it should be, you fair weathered Beatle fan!) Seriously, though, this book has Harrison's recollections on growing up and Beatledom. In this area it is a bit light. The recollections are largely personal and he has very little to say about the other Beatles (perhaps, because even John was still alive when this was written, George didn't want to risk stepping on any toes.) This is an odd omission, though, and leaves a bit of a question mark hanging when the book is finished.

Aside from the autobiographical information, which is light but interesting, the best parts of th book are the photographs and the lyrics section. The reader is presented with copies of a lot of hand-written George Harrison songs, along with the author's comments about each. This was the first serious attempt by a Beatle to give an accounting of his work (John's famous Playboy interview not having been done yet.) This is probably our only chance to hear George comment one some of his favorite songs.

This book isn't perfect. It is uneven and contains some glaring omissions (I have heard that John was quite pissed about not being mentioned, actually) but overall George's dry wit and sense of humor comes through the writing very well. And because he wrote it himself, I, Me, Mine contains a very authentic "feel" the hold it together. So there you have it. A book telling the George, the whole George, and nothing but the George. Now I will repeat my introduction:

I shouldn't even have to pitch this book to you. It was written by Harrison. Buy it. Period.

It has never been acceptable merely to be passionate about The Beatles collectively: You MUST have a personal favorite. John Lennon was always mine, by dint of his court jester persona and his wordsmithing, with George Harrison a close second. Being shy myself, I identified with the so-called Quiet Beatle and liked his scornful "don't bother me" attitude, which was integral to so many of his songs. Harrison's meticulous and versatile guitar work, never show-offish and always tasteful, was my main inspiration for wanting to learn to play, too. The Beatle least comfortable with his immortality, Harrison could be openly contemptuous of Beatlemania and often referred to himself ruefully as Beatle George, a title he felt he could never live down. Off-putting to some, maybe, his cantankerousness only made Harrison more interesting to me.

Predictably, Harrison takes a larkish approach to telling his life story. In his foreword, he facetiously calls "I Me Mine" "a little ego detour," but the book's tone is actually rather self-effacing. It's not an autobiography per se, although there is a six chapter text section that hits the high points of Harrison's life up until that time (late Seventies) and allows the mystical Beatle to rhapsodize on some of his passions: spirituality, gardening and, surprisingly, Formula One motor racing. Written by Harrison in a conversational style, with extensive "notes" by longtime Beatles confidant/press officer Derek Taylor, the text is a rambling sketch of a very private man determined to stay that way. (A clue to Harrison's reticence is found in the book's "backword," where he includes the cryptic quote, "Tell not all that you know because he who tells all that he knows, often tells more than he knows.") Luckily for his admirers, Harrison would be more forthcoming, particularly on Beatle matters, in "The Beatles Anthology".

The photo section (48 black and white plates) is extraordinary, with lots of unique snaps that haven't seen print before in countless other Beatle books. Two of my favorites: a box of Good News chocolates, the inspiration for Harrison's "Savoy Truffle" from "The White Album," and a cancelled check for one million pounds paid to Inland Revenue, which the notorious taxman-baiter calls "punishment for being cheeky and making lots of money."

The bulk of the book is devoted to examining Harrison's songs, beginning with "Don't Bother Me" from "Meet the Beatles" (1964) through "Blow Away" from the excellent "George Harrison" LP (1979). For each song, Harrison provides a brief (usually) insight into his inspiration and shares his original, handwritten lyric sheets, replete with notes and illustrations. While words were never really Harrison's forte, it's still fascinating to glimpse a Beatle's creative process in such detail. The book includes the final versions of Harrison's songs as they were recorded, and it's interesting to compare them to the working models. "Taxman," in particular, was very rough indeed until Lennon offered Harrison the use of his acid pen - a fact Harrison curiously fails to mention here.

TRIVIA NOTE: The book's first edition was a signed, limited edition of 2,000 numbered copies, hand-bound in leather, by Genesis Publications, Ltd., Guildford, Surrey, England. My humble copy of "I Me Mine" is a 1980 Simon and Schuster edition, a birthday present from my sister (George was her favorite Beatle) in 1983.

This book by the late George Harrison is quite an effort. It is beautiful for the simplicity of it, yet it is far from just being a simple book. Where the book fails in attempting to be an autobiography, it more than makes up for it in many other areas.

There are plenty of pictures for the nostalgia buff. There are plenty of notes, which accompany 'hand-written' lyrics from his many songs. There are funny anecdotes and serious ponderings.

This is an odd assortment of stuff, which somehow works wonderfully, almost magically. This is an absolute must for any fan of the Beatles and for music fans in general.

George and his wife, Olivia, with Derek Taylor, have compiled a beautiful volume that provides a quick life story and a tribute in the form of the original hand-written lyrics, also typset, of all George's songs. There are insights here that bring a whole new meaning to the Beatles songs George wrote, as well as his solo material. George's life was anything but "I, Me, Mine" and in this book he explains why.
As my brother-in-law was dying from a brain tumor and could no longer talk, he just loved to listen to George's "Cloud Nine" album and in a very special sort of way, George's passing soon after gave us hope that they are making music together. This book is a wonderful legacy.

Disappointing, garbled, disjointed "preview" of what is a wonderful story. More of a book of lyrics than anything else. Too much of the lyrics not enough of the story. An example of the disorganisation is the photograph section which has the comment or explanation of each photograph as a list in the appendices at the back of the book rather than onthe same page as the relatve photograph where there is enough room to include it, weird!

Be warned that this is not an autobiography in its entirety. However, it contains the most true biographical content you will find in print about George Harrison. This book is made up of three parts. The first is a short biographical section written by George himself, and by a man by the name of Derek Taylor, a very close friend of George's. While that section is far shorter than any curious fan of George's would like, it is none the less very entertaining, and funny. A true "Must Read", if you will. The second section is the words to nearly all of his songs that were written prior to 1980, when the book first came out. Along with the words are a comment from George about each song. Many of the comments are quite amusing and insightful. The third section is made up of photographs. This edition also comes with an introduction to the writing of this book by George's wife, Olivia, that is truely endearing. If you want to begin to get an idea of George Harrison's sense of humor and personal views on a wide variety of subjects, and if you just plain love George Harrison, GET THIS BOOK! Amen.

This is a wonderful book that any Beatles fan, and especially George Harrison fan, will love to read and re-read-- and also just thumb through. The majority of the book contains photographs (many of which I'm sure are very rare-- a couple of shots of George as a boy, some great pictures of the Beatles' early days, and many more) and song lyrics with explanations. The song lyric section was the most enjoyable for me-- you get full lyrics, handwritten drafts, and (at times) very detailed stories of how a particular song came about. My favorite is the story behind Savoy Truffle (one of my favorite Beatles songs)! This book will have a treasured place on my shelf and in my heart, as will George.

I went to the book store to find an autobiography on George Harrison; and I came across this. 10% of this book is about the life of George, 20% of this book were pictures; & 70% of the rest were songs. This is not considered an autobiography in my opinon. An autobiograph is a story about your whole life, from when you were a little kid, to your present time. This book didn't live up to what it was suppose it be. I gave it 3 stars because, I found the last part very interesting, on why & how he wrote his songs & what they mean; and I liked what his wife wrote in the introduction too. If you want to get this for your George Harrison collection, then this is for you, but I would get it at the library first before buying this. I still love you George.

This books deserves nothing less than 5 stars. The collection of handwritten lyrics PLUS the stories behind said songs would've been a great book in-and-of itself, but with pictures and a bio/interview to boot, this book is wonderful. It's a great little bio for new fans, though I might suggest other bios as a starting point to get all the insight and angles. I would suggest the Rolling Stone book full of photos and interviews for another amazing read.

Being a Beatle fanatic and even more a George Harrison fan, this work pleases the soul. With the introduction and notes from George's close friend, writer Derek Taylor, the book gives the reader a glimpse in to life of a very humble man who gained an inordinate amount of wealth and fame.
An overall look at his life before, with and beyond the Beatles, it doesn't offer many new insights or points of gossip. The Beatles and his relationships with the other three are given the proverbial nod.
What is brought to the surface is of the essence of the man himself, his loves, his loses and what is more important in HIS life. His family, his friends, his music, interests and spirituality are given more attention.
The gold mine that is here for the reader and fan is the summary and background given each, if not all, of Harrison's songs. How and why they were written, and what the inspiration was behind them. The lyrics of each song are supplemented along with reproductions of the original handwritten lyric sheets collected by George over the years. Along with photos documenting the stages of Harrison's life the reader is brought closer to a man whose life and work has affected us all for the better, I believe!

George Harrison was always looked over in the Beatles, with John and Paul being the biggest songwriters. However, after you read this book, you'll see that George was arguable the most important author of the group. The first part is a lovely introduction by Harrison's widow Olivia, who was with him for more than 20 years. The second part is George and Derek Taylor collaborating on a small biography of the former character. Next are a selection of humorous and nice pictures, including some rarely-seen classics. Then the heart of the book: George tells us the stories behind all of his released songs up to the 1979 George Harrison album (with the exception of the two songs he wrote for the Beatles' "Help!" album).

can be found in this book. The handwritten lyrics and crossed-out verses are pictured and each song is explained by George. For those who thought he was quiet because he had nothing to say, this book will come as a complete surprise. As a young and aspiring Beatle fan I can honestly say this book made me feel closer to what was such a huge phenomenon before I was born. George Harrison is definitely a legend, and not just because he is now dead. His gentle, colloquial speech and amazingly remarkable memory make this book a must for any music fan.

All though I have only known the Beatles and they're music for a very short while, this book is phenominal. I have read other books on the Beatles and their solo careers, George's is the best so far. Although it's very light on the Beatles aspect of his career, the handwritten lyrics for the songs is the most interesting part of the book, and must know for all George Harrison and Beatle fanatics! I would recommend this book to anyone!

Admittedly, it's more archival stuff than a straightforward autobiography, BUT, there is such talent, intelligence, heart and humour in these pages that George comes virtually to life.

A terrific companion to your George Harrison CD collection!

For fans wanting bio. and background info this isn't the book for you. Written in 1980 the book is more about the song lyrics. There are roughly 75 pages of personal recollections sprinkled with quips from Derek Taylor, 50 photo's (all very nice), and 300+ pages of song lyrics (with insight into the inspiration of his songs) spanning George's career. OK stuff, but not what I was hoping for.Definitely not enough history and reminiscing, but the book points out that reliving the past was not George's way.

Like other reviews have said, the book is a little scant on George's personal reflections on the Beatles and his life. I was not as bothered by that very much at all... because the most interesting part of the book is the latter portion where George discusses his inspiration and methods for his songs, next to reproductions of handwritten lyrics for each song (through his self-titled LP from 1978). It's a must for George solo fans to have in order to explore the workings of his song-writing skills. All in all a great book, and I hope they reprint it soon! :)

I was happy to read an autobiography not ghost written by a professional writer. George's personality, wit and humor shine through just like George. I would have liked more memoir, but what is there is great.

Although there is not much information about George or The Beatles as we can find in other books about them, this is a touching portrait of the man behind the scenes. It worths. Berenice de Lara Silva

It's quite good. George tells you alot about Krishna and a few juciy bits of really detailed Beatle expirence! There's alot of pics and George has all the lyrics to all of his songs before 1981 and all the meanings to them. Great book.