What was the name of John Lennon's first book?

John Lennon's first book was In His Own Write. Published in 1964, it is a collection of nonsense literature containing short poems, surreal stories, and Lennon's own drawings. The title itself is a pun on “in his own right,” reflecting the wordplay that runs throughout the book.

The project began after journalist Michael Braun saw Lennon's writing and drawings and showed them to Tom Maschler of the publisher Jonathan Cape. Lennon signed with the publisher in January 1964, and the book appeared in Britain on March 23. It became an immediate bestseller during the height of Beatlemania.

Lennon's literary influences included Lewis Carroll, Spike Milligan, Stanley Unwin, and cartoonist James Thurber. A common mix-up is naming A Spaniard in the Works, which was Lennon's second book, published in 1965. The later volume continued the same surreal style, but In His Own Write was the first and helped establish Lennon as more than a pop musician.