These are the Beatles books and authors mentioned in this article:

• "Recording the Beatles," by Kevin Ryan and Brian Kehew (Curvebender Publishing, 2006).

A magnificently produced 11-by-11-inch hardcover, packaged in a slipcase designed to look like an EMI tape box, this book includes everything you could possibly want to know about the equipment used at the Abbey Road Studios when the Beatles worked there and a great deal of information about how the group made its classic recordings. Ryan and Kehew's imprint, Curvebender, is named for a piece of equipment described in the book. Information: recordingthebeatles.com.

• "Way Beyond Compare: The Beatles' Recorded Legacy, Vol. 1: 1957-1965" (2003)

• "That Magic Feeling: The Beatles' Recorded Legacy, Vol. 2: 1966-1970" (2003)

• "Lifting Latches: The Beatles' Recorded Legacy, Vol. 3: Inside the Beatles' Vaults" (2005)

• "Beatlemania, Vol. 1" (2006)

All by John C. Winn (Multiplus Books).

The first two volumes in Winn's "Recorded Legacy" series offer detailed source information about every snippet of the Beatles you're likely to hear on anything from a standard Beatles CD or a documentary to a bootleg. The third volume describes the contents of EMI's Beatles archives, reel by reel. And the "Beatlegmania" series promises to be a nostalgic look at classic bootlegs, going all the back to the days when they were vinyl discs with rubber-stamped covers. Winn's imprint, Multiplus, refers to a line in "Alec Speaking," a poem in John Lennon's first book, "In His Own Write." Information: members.aol.com/multiplusbooks.

• "The Beatles Records on Vee-Jay" (1998)

• "The Beatles' Story on Capitol Records — Part One: Beatlemania & The Singles" (2000)

• "The Beatles' Story on Capitol Records — Part Two: The Albums" (2000)

• "The Beatles Are Coming!" (2003)

• "The Beatles on Apple Records" (2003)

• "The Beatles Solo on Apple Records" (2005)

• "The Beatles Swan Song" (due 2007)

All by Bruce Spizer (498 Productions).

These volumes offer a wealth of detail about the Beatles' American recordings and their first visit to the United States, touching on everything from contracts and lawsuits to promotional materials, all richly illustrated. Spizer's imprint, 498 Productions, refers to the catalog number of a Vee-Jay single on which the Beatles' name is misspelled (as Beattles). Information: beatle.net.