Announced in December 2021 and released in February 2022, Beatles drummer Ringo Starr has released a new book, titled Lifted. Released exclusively through Julien’s Auctions, the new book contains never before seen photographs and new stories from the legendary drummer.
Julien’s Auctions released two versions of the book: the Collector’s Edition for $59 and the Limited Signature Edition for $495. Proceeds from sales of the book go to The Lotus Foundation, according to juliensauctions.com. In a page located in the back of the book, The Lotus Foundation aims to “fund, support, participate in and promote charitable projects aimed at advancing social welfare in diverse areas…”
Lifted was written by Starr during the COVID-19 lockdown and offers new insight into the lives of The Beatles during their peak years. “We’ve all been through a pretty tough time for a lot of people who’ve been locked down, and this book has really lifted my spirits and took me back to where I once belonged in a whole new way,” Starr said, as reported by Julien’s Auctions. “And in the end, that’s why this new book is called Lifted. The Beatles changed my life forever. So it’s about getting back and giving back.”
Opening the book, one is greeted with fantastic images and heartwarming stories and snippets of the band from Ringo’s perspective. John Lennon, George Harrison, and Paul McCartney all got mentions, with images to go along with them.
Under an image of the late John Lennon, Starr writes “…he’s rightly going down in history as one of the greatest of all time. Hard to believe now that I’ve been missing John for more than forty years, but I’ve been loving the man for more than sixty years. Imagine that.”
George Harrison also got his own praises in the book including “There was so much to George Harrison—the man, the musician, and the gardener. I love and miss all the different sides of George.”
The only other remaining Beatle (besides Ringo Starr) is Paul McCartney. The two continue to be close friends to this day, which is mentioned in Lifted. Going along with a picture of McCartney and Starr from the 1960s, Starr writes “…I’m thankful that even after all this time has passed, Paul and I are still here and still holding on to one another.”
The band members aren’t the only ones to make appearances in the book. Two pages are dedicated to The Beatles friends and road managers/assistants, Mal Evans and Neil Aspinall. Ringo praises his two late friends by remembering their support and assistance to the band in the height of Beatlemania with kind words. “We were looked after by those two guys, so as we made our way around the world, there were mostly just six of us. And they did a great job,” he writes.
Other Beatles friends, confidants, and significant others make appearances in Lifted as well.
Another highlight of Lifted includes one of the last images of the band ever taken. Despite the band’s time together coming to an end, in this image they are all smiles. “Whatever separated us was never as big as the love that united us,” Ringo wrote of the image. “In a million minds and hearts, I feel as if we are still all together now.”
Lifted is the perfect book for any Beatles fan of any age. Filled to the brim with vivid pictures and stories and captions to accompany them, Lifted offers a new look at the world’s most famous band. And just like Paul McCartney’s 2021 book, The Lyrics 1956 to the Present, it is an essential read to gain a better understanding of The Beatles.
