The story of The Beatles and their native city is one of Rock 'n' Roll's most colourful legends. Even so, until now it has usually been a story patchily told. The Beatles in Liverpool, a companion title to The Beatles in Hamburg, now recreates the authentic flavour of the time and the place that produced the world's most influential rock band.

Beatles historian Spencer Leigh separates fact from fiction, while a vividly evocative selection of photographs brings Liverpool's contemporary post-war cityscape to gritty life.

Here too is the real story of the Beatles' earliest musical influences as well as the significant - if less obvious - effect of Liverpool's thriving arts culture, where everything from painting to performance art helped to give this tough industrial port its creative heart as well as its abrasive sense of humour.

Set in the context of the city, The Beatles' formative period becomes a more coherent story, complementing the Hamburg days and explaining why, despite their differing personalities and collective talents, The Beatles were united by a shared culture that was unlike that of any other British city of the time.

Featuring exclusive interviews with fellow musicians, promoters, club managers, audience members, fans, friends and family, together with rare photographs and memorabilia, The Beatles In Liverpool is the definitive, fully illustrated account of the formative years of a legendary band. Fittingly, this book is published on the fiftieth anniversary of the release of their first single, "Love Me Do".