The second edition of The Beatles: A Reference and Value Guide contains over 600 items, each sporting a fabulous colour photograph. This book focuses on Memorabilia so you won't find listings for vinyl, cds, or paper items. What really makes this guide worthwhile are the photos, all in colour and all of the finest quality to be found in any Beatle price guide currently in print. However the descriptions leave a bit to be desired. In fact it appears there have been no modifications to the text since the original edtion was published in 1994. There were a few surprises when it came to prices but generally speaking they seemed fairly representative of 1998 values. One interesting difference, compared to other guides, is the relatively small discount afforded items in less than Near Mint condition.
Should you add this title to your library shelf?. That depends. If you want one, and only one memorabilia price guide, then I recommend you choose The 3rd edition of the Beatles Memorabilia Price Guide by Jeff, Rick and Marty. In my opinion their descriptions and explanations about collecting memorabilia outweigh the quality of these photos. However, if you are a serious collector of Beatles memorabilia then this book makes an excellent investment. Being out of touch with current values could easily end up costing you more than the $16 price tag.
Review Summary
Author: Barbara Crawford, Hollis Lamon and Michael Stern
Publisher: Collector Books
P.O. Box 3009
Paducah, Kentucky
42002-3009 USA