This is a FUN book, plain and simple. It goes without saying that Beatles fans will be delighted, yet animation buffs and media students (even if they are not counted among the former) will not be disappointed. The process by which four real-life people were transformed into animated form is most fascinating. And the author has managed to find and interview many who were arms-deep into the planning and creation of the series. For Mr. Axelrod this must have been an exhausting project but well worth it, for what emerges is obviously a labor of love. The series, which seems to have had a loyal cult following for three decades after its last episode, actually predated "Yellow Submarine" by three years and served as a springboard for the latter, all hailing from an era when animation was done by hand to meet weekly demand. Profusely illustrated, my own favorite images from the book are the prototypal sketches where each of the "real" Beatles habits and idiosyncrasies are outlined as a guide in the evolution of their celluloid counterparts. And the section on the resultant merchandising from the TV series is amusing and must surely feature some new additions to the field. Mr. Axelrod has admirably filled a gap in the seemingly endless trail of Beatle history, striking a balance between the scholarly and fun, emphasis on the latter.