NEMS BEATLES SCRAPBOOK

The 1964 NEMS Beatles Scrapbook was produced by Whitman and printed in the United States by the Western Printing and Lithographing Company. The cover illustration was created by Walt Howarth (1928–2008). The album measured 11½“ x 13½”. The front and back covers featured the band’s name and color images of the Beatles, while the interior consisted of blank newsprint pages. The British version was smaller, measuring 9¼“ x 12”. The U.S. version had an initial price of 29 cents.

The Western Printing and Lithographing Company had deep roots in the United States, as described by the Wisconsin Genealogy Society:

“One of Racine’s leading commercial enterprises was founded in 1908 and took over the business of John Geller, who had operated his business under the name Westside Printing Company. He had started the company around 1906, and it was run under that original name until 1910, when it was incorporated under Wisconsin law as the Western Printing & Lithographing Company. In 1909, the company received its first contract, worth one thousand dollars, and regarded this milestone as a significant step forward. To date, individual contracts totaling thirty thousand dollars have been successfully fulfilled.” – Wisconsin Genealogy Society