The following article is from the 1964 magazine The Beatles Are Back.
The "Boss Beatle" and the "Married Beatle"...He's now the "Writing Beatle," too!
"Thorg hilly grove and burly ive,/ Big daleys grass and tree/ We clobber ever gallop/ Deaf Ted, Danoota, and me./ This is an excerp from "Deaf Ted, Danoota, (and me)"-one of the poems in John Lennon's book, "In His Own Write." Definitely not for children and probably not even for Beatle fans (said John: "I wrote it for the group!"), the slim book has set critics back on their literary heels. Time magazine said: "In this startling collection of verse and prosery, Lennon has rolled Edward Lear, Lewis Carroll and James Thurber into one great post-Joycean spitball." England's Times Literary Supplement praised the book and said it is "worth the attention of anyone who fears for the improverishment of the English language." John himself says, simply, "It just comes out. I sit down and write and this is what happens." All the critics agree it contains a mightly clever hit of witty and is fooney, too. In short, no one doubts that this Beatle has a brain. Some reviews hinted John's unhappy childhood influenced most of the sad-funny offerings; other preferred the non-psychological, and chalked it up to style. We agree with Beatle Paul's introduction to the book: "There are bound to be thickheads...who will search for hidden meanings...if it seems funny then that's enough." It does and it is! It looks as though the "boss Beatle" and the "married Beatle" and the "writting Beatle" can add the "ultra-talented Beatle" to his list of illustrious titles. Another book, please John?