'The Lyrics' is the 2021 Waterstones Book of the Year!

Waterstones is delighted to announce Paul McCartney’s The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, as Waterstones Book of the Year 2021.

Every year Waterstones booksellers vote for the books they have most enjoyed recommending to their customers. The highly anticipated The Lyrics recounts Paul McCartney’s life and art through 154 iconic songs, spanning his entire career.

" What an amazing honour! Thanks Waterstones for this prestigious accolade. I’m really happy at the reaction to The Lyrics and to be chosen by the bookselling experts themselves for this is truly overwhelming. All those involved in putting the book together worked really hard and this is a great way for us all to celebrate. Bookshops rule! Cheers Waterstones!" - Paul

“The Lyrics is stunningly beautiful and a masterpiece of book design, a true joy for bibliophiles” says Waterstones CEO, James Daunt. “Paul McCartney has fashioned, through the explorations of his songs with the poet Paul Muldoon, a fascinating insight into his life and creative genius. The booksellers of Waterstones are proud to celebrate this magnificent and deeply original book.”

Born and raised in Liverpool, Paul McCartney has dared to dream and to be different, since writing his first song aged 14. McCartney has often been approached to write an autobiography, but the time never felt right. He, however, always found the time to write songs and realised that for him they served the purpose of documenting his life. Deeply personal and staying true to his preferred way of storytelling, this intimate self-portrait from one of the greatest songwriters of all time has been enthusiastically welcomed by both our booksellers and our customers, consequently earning the accolade of Waterstones Book of the Year 2021.

Angela, Waterstones Inverness, says The Lyrics is “even more rewarding than a traditional biography” describing the book as an “absolute treasure trove”, whereas Kurde, Waterstones Horsham, who felt transported back to her childhood bedroom where McCartney posters adorned her walls , calls it the perfect “gift for that very special occasion” and Iain, Waterstones Glasgow Sauchiehall Street, describes The Lyrics as the “ musical memory box of the creative life of a living legend”.