Mr Moonlight: Brian Epstein and the Making of The Beatles

'Superb, detailed research and analysis of how four ordinary boys from Liverpool took over the world, through the lens of the man who made it all happen’ Daily Telegraph

‘Mr Moonlight is a crisply written canter through Epstein’s rich and mysterious life’ Spectator

The definitive biography of Brian Epstein – the man who made the Beatles – by leading Beatles biographer Philip Norman.

Brian Epstein didn’t just manage the Beatles – he transformed them into the most famous band the world has ever known. A young record-shop owner from Liverpool, he took four relatively unknown musicians and set out to make them ‘bigger than Elvis’, changing pop music, celebrity and British culture forever. Only a few years older than John, Paul, George and Ringo, he called them ‘the Boys’, guiding, protecting and relentlessly believing in them as no one else did. Without Brian Epstein, there would have been no Beatles as we know them.

Brian’s achievement in a profession in which he had no experience remains astonishing. A passionate devotee of classical music, he was nevertheless instrumental in shaping a new kind of pop that would revolutionise its sound, its business and Britain’s image around the world. Yet for all his achievements, he received no public honour – and scarcely any thanks.

Drawing on a remarkable cache of exclusive interviews with those closest to him, Philip Norman delivers the most intimate and revealing portrait yet of this complex, conflicted and ultimately tragic figure. Mr Moonlight reveals the depths of Brian’s many trials and tribulations – how he almost lost the Beatles to organised crime; the antisemitism and homophobia he endured even at the height of his success; his intense and fraught relationship with John Lennon; and the haunting circumstances of his lonely death during the so-called Summer of Love.

At once revelatory and deeply moving, Mr Moonlight restores Brian Epstein to his rightful place at the heart of the Beatles’ story.

‘A highly proficient book that is entertaining and well written. And also necessary' The Times

About the Author :
Philip Norman has an international reputation as a chronicler of pop music and culture. Shout!, his groundbreaking biography of the Beatles, first published in 1981, has been continuously in print ever since. He went on to write definitive biographies of the Rolling Stones, Elton John, Buddy Holly, John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Sir Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and most recently George Harrison. Also an award-winning writer of fiction, he was one of Granta's first Top 20 Young British Novelists.

Review :
'Superb, detailed research and analysis of how four ordinary boys from Liverpool took over the world, through the lens of the man who made it all happen’ ‘A highly proficient book that is entertaining and well written. And also necessary. I am sure it will be regarded as the standard book on Epstein for some time' 'Mr Moonlight is a crisply written canter through Epstein’s rich and mysterious life' ‘The elusive subject is of course fascinating’ ‘Excellent, a tribute to a man who was both gay and Jewish and thus the subject of abuse from all directions but who managed to convince the world that the band he loved was also the greatest group of all time’ This captivating biography of Beatles manager Brian Epstein proves that Norman (Shout!), one of the band’s most prolific chroniclers, still has plenty left in the tank . . . A rip-roaring yet empathetic rock history' ‘Norman guides us through how the four hard-boiled Scousers were “steam-cleaned” and professionalised by Epstein’