He had unprecedented access to John Lennon, Sir Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Sir Ringo Starr for his 1968 book, the only approved biography of the Beatles.
It includes previously unseen drawings by Harrison and Lennon of Sir Paul, Davis’ drafts of The Beatles: The Approved Biography with handwritten captions by Lennon’s aunt Mimi, and Super 8 video footage of his family on vacation in Portugal with Sir Paul and Linda McCartney.
The acquisition also included written notes by Brian Epstein, the Beatles’ manager since 1962, about how the band should present themselves, including what they should wear in public.
“The further away we are from the Beatles, the bigger they get,” Davis said.
“I never thought in all these subsequent years that my filthy notebooks would be so important.”
“I am pleased that it will be made available to a wider audience of Beatles fans and scholars through the British Library.”
The items will be displayed alongside other Beatles-related items in the Sir John Ritblatt Gallery at the British Library in London.
Marking the acquisition, Davis will remember writing the autobiography and provide insights into his archives in the library and online on November 11.
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