Lennon, John

typed title ("AROUND AND ABOUT by Beatcomber") crossed through in blue ink, alternative title "Beatcomber I" written in blue ink in a scribal hand and canceled in black ink, the final title "LIDDYPOOL" then added above in black ink, an additional two words ("but slowly") added in the same scribal hand, one correction in blue ink, fifteen lines canceled in black ink, editorial comment in pencil at the foot of the page ("Either eliminate or regroup & reform. As it stands this is pure fill"), one page, foolscap folio (13 x 8 in.; 330 x 203 mm., "64 Mill Bond Extra Strong" watermark), small red ink marks

see catalog
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Lennon's satirical guide to the city of his birth and a highly idiosyncratic evocation of Liverpool in the early 1960s. This piece was originally written for the weekly newspaper Mersey Beat, founded by Lennon's art college friend Bill Harry in 1961 to report on Liverpool's burgeoning youth culture, before it appeared on p.54 of In His Own Write. A small number of comic articles by Lennon were published in Mersey Beat, and this piece had appeared on 14 September 1961 with the title 'Around and About' and under the pseudonym of Beatcomber, a reference to the surreal comic column in the Daily Express,  "Beachcomber". Lennon wrote a far greater number of pieces for Mersey Beat than were ever published, but in the summer of 1962 a stack of some 250 pieces that Lennon had given Bill Harry were lost in an office move: "We had to let John know and met him that night at the Blue Angel. When we told him he broke down and cried" (Lewisohn, p.694).

'Liddypool' includes a host of local references, from the Tudor manor house Speke Hall ("Talk Hall"), which is "very histerical with old things wot are fakes", to Speke Airport ("Shout Airborne") - "handy for planes if you like" - which in 2002 was renamed John Lennon International Airport. Lennon's guide to local clubs is of particular interest, although it was cut from In His Own Write, presumably for being too parochial. He refers to the Casbah ("THE CASBIN"), which was run by Mona Best, mother of the Beatles's early drummer Pete Best, and where the band had their first residency; the Jacaranda ("THE JACKARANDY - Membrains only"), a favorite beatnik hang-out; and Streates coffee bar, a center of the developing poetry scene ("The Bohernia of Liddypool"). Curiously, however, the Cavern Club, where the Beatles played regularly from February 1961 and the venue most closely associated with the band, is missing from the list.