Songs by George Harrison

Guildford, Surrey: Genesis Publications Limited, 1987. Signed by George Harrison

HARRISON, George. [WEST, Keith, illustrator]. Songs by George Harrison. Guildford, Surrey: Genesis Publications Limited, 1987.

First edition, first printing, #1,946 of 2,500 copies signed in gold ink by the former Beatle
on the limitation leaf.

Small quarto (9 11/16 x 6 7/8 inches; 250 x 175 mm.). [1-12], 13-175, [5] pp. With numerous color plates and watercolor illustrations by artist Keith West. With a foreword by Jeff Lynne (ELO, Travelling Wilburys), a middleword by Elton John, and a backword by George Harrison. The lyrics are illustrated in color (including two folding and four 'mounted and tipped-in') by the New Zealand botanical artist Keith West, who impressed Harrison with his wealth of fantastical imagery.

Publishers half black morocco over black cloth. Front cover with blind-stamped guitar, rear cover with blind-stamped keyboard. Spine with two raised bands decoratively lettered in gilt, black endpapers with small Keith West bookplate, all edges gilt. Housed in the original black cloth over board clamshell case lettered in gilt on front panel and spine, complete with CD in tray. as issued. Fine.

"This edition is limited to two thousand five hundred signed copies of which this is copy number '1946' [signed] 'George Harrison'" (limitation leaf).

The CD includes the following tracks: Sat Singing (Recorded March 1980); Lay His Head (Recorded April 1980); For You Blue (Recorded live in Washington DC, December 1974) and Flying Hour (Recorded March 1978).

George Harrison MBE (1943-2001) was an English musician, singer and songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian culture and helped broaden the scope of popular music through his incorporation of Indian instrumentation and Hindu-aligned spirituality in the Beatles' work. Although the majority of the band's songs were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, most Beatles albums from 1965 onwards contained at least two Harrison compositions. His songs for the group include "Taxman", "Within You Without You", "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", "Here Comes the Sun" and "Something". Harrison's earliest musical influences included George Formby and Django Reinhardt; subsequent influences were Carl Perkins, Chet Atkins and Chuck Berry.