Lennon letter up for auction (again?)...

Lennon letter outlining Beatles rift up for sale

The draft six-page letter to Paul and Linda McCartney, littered with spelling mistakes, deletions and expletives, was being sold at Christie's in South Kensington, London.

The writer's mood swings from intense anger and hurt at the other Beatles' treatment of him and Yoko Ono, disdain for Linda, frustration and exasperation with numerous issues, to a palpable affection for Paul McCartney.

Though not dated, the letter is believed to have been written around 1970-71. It is not known if it was ever sent.

Written at Lennon's Berkshire mansion, Tittenhurst Park, the letter apparently responds to one sent by Linda in which she castigated Lennon for derogatory remarks made to the press about Paul and The Beatles.

Lennon airs his disenchantment with some of the trappings of The Beatles' fame, citing their acceptance of MBE awards in 1965, an honour he returned publicly four years later - "I do remember squirming a little - don't you Paul - or do you - as I suspect still believe it all ...?"

And he accuses Paul of letting their success go to his head and for believing that they alone sparked the youth revolution - "Of course we changed the world - but try and follow it through - get off your gold disc and fly."

But he signs off on a tender note saying "... inspite (sic) of it all, love to you both, from us two."

The letter is expected to fetch from STG65,000 ($A194,029) to STG80,000 ($A238,805).

It features in a sale offering the collector an A to Z of pop from Abba to ZZ Top, including lyrics, autograph material, props, costume and guitars ranging in estimate from STG200 ($A597.01) to STG80,000. ($A238,805).

[I seem to recall this one being up for auction before, I'm sure someone else posted about it because the contents of the letter are familiar.]

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I think there has been something posted about this letter before. Also, I saw an article last night that it failed to sell; they didn't get the price they wanted for it.

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"It is better to light a candle than to damn darkness." -- Confucius

Author of "Move Over Ms. L." and the sequel "To Thine Own Self Be True,"
hosted at www.rooftopsessions.com

Couldn't seem to find anything else mentioned about it on here. Perhaps I came across it in one of my books, I'm certain it was just the other night I read something about it somewhere.

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Not sure about this, but I think someone did post this before. Also, SF4-EVER, I did see where it was not sold.

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Bearkat77's Beatlemaniac Page
Bearkat77's Tribute to John Lennon
Bearkat77's Tribute to Ringo Starr

Thought I'd just post the update here instead of starting a new topic. -- SF4-EVER/Sandra

Lennon's Venomous Letter To McCartney Finally Sold At Auction

An angry letter that John Lennon wrote to Paul McCartney at the time of the Beatles breakup was finally been sold Wednesday (October 10) at Christie's in London. The letter was snapped up for $88,330, after being put back on the block after it failed last week to reach its original reserve price of $95,700. A Christie's spokesperson told LAUNCH the letter was sold to an anonymous collector.

In the venomous letter full of profanity and misspellings, Lennon criticized the effect fame had on his former bandmate McCartney, and expressed his resentment about the unfair treatment of his wife, Yoko Ono. Lennon also had some unkind words for McCartney's wife, Linda, and wrote that he didn't believe their marriage would last.

Despite the harshness of the letter in general, Lennon closed on an affectionate note, signing off, "In spite of it all, love to you both from us two."

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"It is better to light a candle than to damn darkness." -- Confucius

Author of "Move Over Ms. L." and the sequel "To Thine Own Self Be True,"
hosted at www.rooftopsessions.com

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Tahoma, Arial, Sans-Serif">Quote:</font><HR>Originally Posted By Nowhere Man:
I wouldn't mind writing venomous letters to Paul if they fetched that much.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

For that, you wouldn't mind writing venomous letters to anyone.

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Bearkat77's Beatlemaniac Page
Bearkat77's Tribute to John Lennon
Bearkat77's Tribute to Ringo Starr

I wouldn't mind writing venomous letters to Paul if they fetched that much.

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