Brian Epstein Signed & Initialled Cellarful of Noise Contract & Book 1964

A three-page contract drawn up on 20 March 1964 between Brian Epstein and Ernest Hecht, owner of the London publishing house Souvenir Press Limited, for the publication of Epstein's autobiography, issued that year as A Cellarful of Noise. Epstein's home address — Whaddon House, London — is typed at the head of the document.

The document is signed on the final page by Epstein in blue ink and by Hecht in black ballpoint, and initialled throughout — four times by Epstein in blue, five times by Hecht. The contract comes with a first-edition hardback of A Cellarful of Noise, stamped "Souvenir Press File Copy" on the first inside page: the publisher's own retained copy.

While the contract designates Brian Epstein as the "Proprietor" of the text, the book was written in collaboration with Derek Taylor. Taylor was a national journalist for the Daily Express whom Epstein originally commissioned to help structure the book. During the very period this contract was finalized (Spring 1964), Taylor spent hours interviewing Epstein, meticulously shaping audio transcripts into a cohesive first-person narrative.

The book's final name, "A Cellarful of Noise", was a direct poetic nod to the Cavern Club in Liverpool. The damp, underground basement club was where Epstein first witnessed the Beatles performing on November 9, 1961, sparking the career trajectory outlined in the memoir.

The contract comes with an additional COA from Tracks

 The Book measures 22.5 x 15 cm

The condition of the book is very good + with some wear and tearing to the dust cover

The Contract measures 32.7 x 20.4

The condition of the contract is very good + with some slight wear to the top left corner