Read John Lennon's Angry Letter to Paul McCartney That's Up for Auction, with Bidding at $33K

A heated letter from John Lennon to Paul McCartney is expected to fetch up to $40,000 at auction.

The winner of the auction, hosted by GottaHaveRockandRoll.com, will become the new owner of Lennon's "scathing reply to Paul McCartney's published interview in the Nov. 20, 1971 issue of Melody Maker, where Paul shared his thoughts on John and Yoko [Ono], the dissolution of the Beatles' business partnership and more."

"John was so furious when he read the interview that he sent this three-page, signed and hand-annotated letter, addressed to Paul, to Melody Maker, for publication, asking them in his own handwriting for equal time," the listing adds, noting that the typewritten letter was published in the Dec. 4, 1971 issue of Melody Maker.

In his rebuttal — which Lennon addressed to "the wee McCartneys," including Paul, now 80, and his first wife Linda McCartney — Lennon began by touching on financials surrounding Apple Records, then went on to describe a business-related phone conversation between them and an accusation that McCartney went "behind [Lennon's] back" to buy Northern Songs shares.

Lennon ended the letter by insisting he had "no hard feelings," that they "basically want the same [things]" and he was open to meeting up. But in a postscript, he added, "The bit that really puzzled us was asking to meet WITHOUT LINDA AND YOKO. I know you're camp! But let's not go too far! I thought you'd have understood BY NOW that I'm JOHNANDYOKO."

The letter is up for auction through 9 p.m. ET on Aug. 19, with the highest bid currently set at $33,000. The auction house estimates that the note will ultimately go for as much as $40,000.

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The ups and downs of Lennon and McCartney's relationship from the Beatles' formation in 1960 to Lennon's death in 1980 have been chronicled throughout many interviews over the years.

Legal proceedings to dissolve the Beatles' partnership began a year before McCartney's Melody Maker interview and Lennon's subsequent response, in December 1970. That same month, an embittered and emotionally raw Lennon released his first full-scale solo statement, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.

Shortly after the album hit shelves, Lennon sat down with Rolling Stone editor-in-chief Jann Wenner to give readers their first look at the beloved band's dirtiest laundry. He fired shot after shot at McCartney for his alleged bossiness in the studio, apparent disrespect of his new wife Yoko Ono, and supposedly unadventurous solo debut, 1970's McCartney.

In his 2021 Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, McCartney said Lennon "turned nasty" when the Beatles disbanded, adding, "I don't really understand why. Maybe because we grew up in Liverpool, where it was always good to get in the first punch of a fight."

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"John was firing missiles at me with his songs, and one or two of them were quite cruel. I don't know what he hoped to gain, other than punching me in the face. The whole thing really annoyed me," McCartney recalled in Lyrics. "John would say things like, 'It was rubbish. The Beatles were crap.' Also, 'I don't believe in The Beatles, I don't believe in Jesus, I don't believe in God.' Those were quite hurtful barbs to be flinging around and I was the person they were being flung at, and it hurt.

Despite previous volatility, the two were able to make peace before Lennon was shot and killed on Dec. 8, 1980, while entering his apartment building in New York City.

McCartney honored what would've been Lennon's 81st birthday in October 2021, writing alongside a throwback photo of the pair, "Happy Birthday thoughts for John."

The previous year, McCartney paid tribute to Lennon on the 40th anniversary of his death, tweeting, "A sad sad day but remembering my friend John with the great joy he brought to the world. I will always be proud and happy to have known and worked with this incredible Scouser! X love Paul."