The Best of McCartney

1981, first edition, from Hal Leonard Publishing
Paul McCartney, arranged by Len Braunling
The Best of McCartney
Original and purchase price unknown
Worn paperback with number stickers on it
C+

For the first year or so of our relationship, 1984-85, my then-future-ex-husband would buy me books about the Beatles, because I had decided for the 20th-anniversary-of-American-Beatlemania I would find out as much as I could about this band that had always been there in the background of my life.  So this book is likely a gift from him, although it has guitar chords and he was the musician, not I.  (He probably borrowed it though.)  This does, however, have a picture of my crush Paul on the cover.  And it shows the lyrics of eleven of his Wings-era songs.  Except for "Mull of Kintyre," I could hear the songs in my head as I read the words.

Still, I can't rate this higher because as a non-musician much of it is lost on me, like the strumming fingers being named p, i, m, and a.  (P is for "pollex," Latin for thumb, and big toe oddly enough.)  Also, for a 1981 book, it's oddly '70s-focused, with not even the catchy "Coming Up" from '80.  And, really, these days you can get lyrics and even sheet music from the Internet, so this book doesn't serve as much purpose as it used to.