John Lennon once said, "What can I tell you about myself that you have not already found out from those who do not lie?"

The 25th anniversary of his shooting death in New York City this December brings at least a dozen new books about The Beatles in general and Lennon specifically.

First up: "John," by his ex-wife, Cynthia Lennon, with a foreword by their son, Julian. The release date (today) coincides with Cynthia Lennon's arrival in New York for interviews.

Publisher Crown promises new revelations about John and Cynthia's marriage and divorce, Cynthia's dealings with Yoko Ono, who later married John, and his drug use and difficult relationship with Julian.

Her book will be followed by tomes ranging from a word and picture tribute by Lennon's personal photographer to reminiscences edited (but not written) by Ono.

"What Elvis was to the '50s, Lennon was to the '60s," says Steven Stark, author of last spring's highly praised "Meet the Beatles: A Cultural History of the Band That Shook Youth, Gender and the World."

Surprisingly, of more than 600 books about the Fab Four over the years, only one, "The Beatles Anthology" (Chronicle, 2000), ever sold well enough to reach USA Today's Best-Selling Books list.

But, says Dave Itzkoff of Spin magazine, "when people hear about the anniversary and make that instantaneous realization that so much time has elapsed, it puts them in a frame of mind where they do want to revisit him."

Enough time has passed, he adds, that authors might feel less reverential toward Lennon. "The more fallibility they introduce about him, the more likely people will read them."

What's coming: