There are many books about the Beatles as there are many stories to be told. The Beatles are associated primarily with three cities: Liverpool, London and Hamburg. So why is Bournemouth so important? The reason is that Bournemouth could be viewed as the fourth most important city with many Beatles connections. The number of concerts the Beatles played in Bournemouth make the town one of the band's most important venues. A week of gigs at The Gaumont was followed later in 1963 by playing the Winter Gardens. Between these two sets of dates, Beatlemania happened so the second set of concerts was very different. Quite simply, by then it was impossible to hear the group because of the screaming. The Winter Gardens concert later in 1963 was filmed for American TV, the first time the Beatles were seen in the US.

The book is largely based on the previously unpublished photos of Harry Taylor. These are from 1963 until 1967 and chart the Beatles in Bournemouth before and during the height of Beatlemania. They show the Beatles posing for the camera and relaxing before and after gigs. As such they are a valuable document in understanding not only the Beatles but also what the live music scene was like in the early 1960s. None of this "stadia or nothing" approach of today. Despite the fact they were already the biggest band in the country and confined to their hotel, the Beatles were surprisingly accessible. Even two young Bournemouth teenagers managed to get past security by posing as Rickenbacker staff.

Next door to the Gaumont the Beatles stayed at the Palace Court Hotel. The Beatles were under siege here much of the time but the hotel has an important stake in Beatles history as this is where Robert Freeman photographed the iconic cover for With The Beatles. This was a simple but effective approach that used natural light coming through the hotel's window to light one side of the Beatles' faces. It is also where George Harrison wrote his first recorded Beatles song Don't Bother Me.

One of the most interesting "revelations" contained in the book in the existence of a live tape recorded by the projectionist at The Gaumont. This was recorded before the time of mass hysteria and screaming and is noted as an excellent record of the Beatles live in 1963. This was later put up for auction and sold to an unknown bidder. The tape is believed to now be in a safe at Apple. This surely deserves an official release for its historical value

With the end of touring in 1966 it could have been expected that was the end of the Beatles' connections with the Bournemouth area. However, John Lennon became a regular visitor to Poole having purchased a home for Aunt Mimi on Sandbanks close to the ferry to Swanage. Lennon was often on a boat on Poole Harbour after this. One of the photos shows John with Aunt Mimi on the south-side slipway of the ferry, John in his Afghan coat and road spectacles. This scene is little changed now except that Mimi's house has since been demolished and a new ferry has come into operation, the previous one still in Poole Harbour as an oyster bed.

The Bournemouth area certainly does have its connections with the rock world with King Crimson, Alex James of Blur, The Fleurs de Lys, Andy Summers/Zoot Money but, arguably, the strongest connections are with the Liverpool moptops.

The book is a highly entertaining read and with the wealth of previously unpublished photos it is much more than just for Beatles fans but a document of a great time long past.