With the 50th anniversary of the official U.K. release of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band taking place this Thursday, Beatles historian and author Bruce Spizer has just published a fascinating new book focusing on the landmark album. The Beatles and Sgt. Pepper: A Fans’ Perspective delves into how the album was experienced and embraced by the group’s faithful followers, while also offering an in-depth look at the history and cultural impact of the record.

Spizer tells ABC Radio that the catalyst for his book was an essay he wrote celebrating Sgt. Pepper‘s 50th anniversary, which he decided to augment with a series of fan recollections gathered from a variety of sources. These remembrances wound up being at the core of the project.

“The real key to it was…fans really related to this album and I just felt that people would have their own Sgt. Pepper stories,” he explains. Spizer also says he noticed that many of these recollections actually mirrored his own Sgt. Pepper experiences, which he discussed in his essay.

“What it showed me was that my Sgt. Pepper experience wasn’t unique after all,” he maintains, “and there also were people talking about how they made friends through The Beatles and through Sgt. Pepper, and things of that nature.”

Among the fans who shared their Sgt. Pepper memories were some noteworthy music artists, including Billy Joel, The Monkees‘ Peter Tork, The Smithereens‘ Pat DiNizio, ex-Wings drummer Denny Seiwell and The Royal Guardsmen’s Barry Winslow. The book is enhanced by a variety of rare photos and images.

Other sections of the book focus on information about each track on Sgt. Pepper, the album’s chart history, details about its famous cover art and innovative packaging, and much more.