Bob Dylan is one of the most prolific and appreciated American folksingers and songwriters. He's also one of the most written-about artists in contemporary folk music. Here's a look at some of the best books about the life and work of Bob Dylan. (See also Essential Bob Dylan Albums)
'Bob Dylan - The Essential Interviews,' edited by Jonathan Cott
© Warner Books
Considered to be one of the more enigmatic personalities in contemporary American folk music, Bob Dylan has rarely given interviews over the course of his 30+ year-long career. Now, Dylan expert and Rolling Stone contributor Jonathan Cott has compiled 31 of the most earnest and telling interviews given by this elusive folk poet.
'Bob Dylan Encyclopedia,' edited by Michael Grey
© Continuum Int'l Publishing Group
The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia, released by Continuum Int'l Publishing Group, covers everything that has even a shadow of something to do with Bob and his 30+ years-long career. Entries include everything from The Band to Neil Diamond to railroad imagery. In other words, if you're a Bob Dylan fan with a tendency towards Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, this is the book for you. Editor Michael Grey put the book together with wit and impartial candor; and, as a result, the entries are actually rather interesting.
'The Old, Weird America,' by Greil Marcus
photo courtesy Pricegrabber
This book by celebrity journalist and master critic Greil Marcus delves deep into the making of Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes (arguably one of his best recordings). Inspired by Dylan's secretive recordings, Marcus takes a look at the national and cultural atmosphere that would inspire an artist like Bob Dylan and a band such as The Band to make such recordings.
'No Direction Home: The Life and Music of Bob Dylan,' by Robert Shelton
photo courtesy Pricegrabber
Robert Shelton was a long-time music critic for the New York Times and one of the first journalists to give Dylan attention in print. In this extensive biography, Shelton dives into the life and work of Dylan, his rise from the Greenwich Village folk scene and landmark moments in his career.
