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A Rediscovered Archive. A Landmark Anniversary. The Final Copies.
To mark the 60th anniversary of The Beatles’ Help! — released on 29th July 1965 — Genesis is excited to announce the final copies of Now These Days Are Gone, the definitive photographic record of the band at a pivotal moment in their career.
New for 2025, the final 200 copies are presented in an updated commemorative binding and are signed by Mike McCartney. A new foreword and photographic print by Mike McCartney are also included in this edition.
“Completely engrossing… a virtual museum of nostalgic photography contained within gilded pages.” – Goldmine
When renowned photojournalist Michael Peto passed away in 1970, he left behind an extraordinary archive: more than 130,000 prints and negatives, bequeathed to the University of Dundee. Decades later, while cataloguing the collection, curators made a stunning discovery: hundreds of never-before-seen images of The Beatles, captured during the making of Help!
Now These Days Are Gone unveils this hidden archive for the very first time.
The summer of Help! marked the end of an era for The Beatles. It would be their last feature film — and their final chapter as mop-topped global darlings. Just months later, in October 1965, they would record Rubber Soul and begin a period of musical and cultural reinvention that changed everything. Now These Days Are Gone freezes the band in this moment of transition — playful, sharp, instinctively cool — on the cusp of something revolutionary.
Peto’s lens captures the band with remarkable intimacy: on set at Twickenham Studios, trekking Salisbury Plain, relaxing over tea and biscuits with castmates, cavorting around a faux ‘Buckingham Palace’ at Cliveden House, and facing the press on the day their MBEs were announced. One remarkable sequence follows them into CTS Studios, where they recorded vocal overdubs for Help!, offering a candid, fly-on-the-wall glimpse of their creative process alongside George Martin.
These photographs are candid, unfiltered, and deeply human, revealing the quiet chemistry, focus, and mischief that defined The Beatles in the summer of 1965.
‘We were on pot by then, and all the best stuff is on the cutting room floor, with us all breaking up and falling all over the place.’ – John Lennon
The book’s 256 pages are more than just a photographic showcase. They offer a richly layered narrative surrounding a pivotal moment in Beatles history.
The manuscript begins with two personal forewords. For these new Anniversary Copies, Mike McCartney contributes a specially written introduction, offering a first-hand account of his time on set during the making of Help!. Mike captured scenes from the production — including one that never made the final cut—and shares his impressions of watching the film come together.
He is followed by acclaimed photographer Colin Jones, whose own career was transformed after meeting Michael Peto. At the time, Jones was dancing with the Royal Ballet Touring Company. It was Peto who introduced him to photojournalism, launching his path to becoming a staff photographer at The Observer.
Two substantial essays follow:
– Paolo Hewitt, renowned music journalist and author, explores the cultural resonance of Help! within The Beatles’ evolving legacy.
– Professor Jim Tomlinson, an expert in modern history, examines The Beatles phenomenon through the lens of the 1960s’ sweeping social and political upheaval in Britain and the United States.
Extended captions run throughout the book, shedding light on Michael Peto’s photography and offering rare insight into the making of Help! — both the film and the album. These detailed, scene-by-scene notes and behind-the-scenes commentary add further depth. The edition closes with a 14-page timeline documenting The Beatles’ extraordinary year in 1965. It offers a concise yet comprehensive chronicle of twelve transformative months.
This carefully crafted manuscript turns Now These Days Are Gone into both a visual and historical record — essential for collectors, fans, and cultural historians alike.
‘He would tell me such things as, “Do not look at photography for inspiration. If you get stuck, cool off in an art gallery.” Or, “Take pictures with your brain, not your eyes.” And, “A good photograph is the one you can walk around like a piece of sculpture.”’ – Colin Jones
Acclaimed photojournalist Colin Jones contributes one of the book’s forewords, paying tribute to the man who launched his photographic career. At the time, Jones was still a dancer with the Royal Ballet Touring Company when Michael Peto — impressed by some early photographs — showed Jones’s work to the picture editor of The Observer. That introduction marked the beginning of Jones’s new life as a Fleet Street photographer.
Jones reflects on Peto’s quiet, deeply artistic approach to photography: “Many years later, I realise he was using photography as art. Michael was never interested in the competitive side of the profession. He hated awards, avoided prestigious agencies, and had no interest in chasing acclaim.”
Peto’s photographs of The Beatles were never published in his lifetime. As Jones recalls: “He got great portraits because he was always very polite, very gentle, and he would flatter people. He also knew when to leave — which is a skill many photographers don’t have. I know he would be surprised to see this book of his Beatles photographs.”
Only 2,500 numbered copies of Now These Days Are Gone will ever exist. To mark the 60th anniversary of Help! (29th July 1965), Genesis is proud to present the final 200 copies.
Each Anniversary Copy features the following:
Photographer and author Mike McCartney, who was present on set during the filming of Help!, contributes a personal foreword and signs each copy in this final release.
A specially created collage of rare and never-before-seen Help! images taken by Mike McCartney himself — available only with these anniversary copies (and suitable for framing).
Quarter-bound in black vegan leather and screen-printed Imitilin, with gold-blocking on the spine and front board, and gilt page edging. Each copy is housed in a black handcrafted slipcase with gold and white foil blocking.
Printed and hand-bound in Milan on 200gsm matt-art paper, with duotone photographs treated with image varnishing, and text printed in three inks for exceptional fidelity and depth.
Limited to just 200 final copies, this anniversary release marks a fitting close to a remarkable archive—and to one of Genesis’s most cherished titles.
Select from the following copies:
To mark the 60th anniversary of The Beatles’ Help! — released on 29th July 1965 — Genesis is excited to announce the final copies of Now These Days Are Gone, the definitive photographic record of the band at a pivotal moment in their career. Now signed by Mike McCartney with an exclusive print.
Since 1974 Genesis has created signed limited edition books on behalf of authors and artists ranging from the Beatles to Buckingham Palace.
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