Why publishers are refunding those who bought $600 limited-edition books autographed by Bob Dylan

Fans were on cloud nine when they got to know American singer Bob Dylan’s limited-edition book titled The Philosophy of Modern Song was personally autographed by the legendary singer himself.

Without thinking twice, they went ahead and bought the $600 book published by Simon & Schuster. But what came as a crashing disappointment, many customers found that the “original autograph” was indeed a replica.

It wasn’t long before people started attacking the book’s publisher for deceiving them.

The official website of the publishing house, which now stands deleted, read, “LIST PRICE $599. These are final sale and non-returnable.” Furthermore, the website “guaranteed to be personally hand-signed by Bob Dylan!”

Naturally, the “originally signed” copy raised the price of the books by manifolds while the non-signed copies are priced at $45.

Announcing The Philosophy of Modern Song, a master class on the art and craft of songwriting and first book of new writing since 2004’s Chronicles: Volume One, from Nobel Prize laureate Bob Dylan. Learn more and pre-order your copy here: https://t.co/RaKTisLl4w pic.twitter.com/614rbZOml8

— Bob Dylan (@bobdylan) March 8, 2022

Those who received the limited-editioned books also obtained a letter from the publishers saying, “You hold in your hands something very special, one of just 900 copies available in the US of The Philosophy of Modern Song signed by Bob Dylan. This is Bob’s first book of new writing since Chronicles, Volume One, published in 2004, and since winning the Nobel Prize in literature in 2016. This letter is confirmation that the copy of the book you hold has been hand-signed by Bob Dylan.”

The publishers have now issued an apology.

Let’s take a closer look at the details of the controversy.

What is the book about?

If it involves Bob Dylan, it ought to be about music.

The singer began working on the book in 2010. In Philosophy of Modern Song, Dylan penned down his insights into the nature of popular music. Throughout the book, he has written over 66 chapters where he has opinionated about songs by other artists like Stephen Foster, Elvis Costello, Hank Williams, Nina Simone and Frank Sintra, among others.

He analysed each song by breaking them down into parts and even explains how bluegrass relates to heavy metal. The book also features nearly 150 curated photos of Bob Dylan and his fellow artists, which serves as a visual treat for readers.

How did the controversy unfold?

According to a report by CBS News, the shocking revelations about the book emerged in October, even before many readers received their copies. A popular YouTuber shared a video on the platform that showed a signed copy of the book.

He said in the video, “It was painfully clear that it was never signed by Bob. Secondly, the lines are 100% uniform and have distinctive starting and stopping points.”

He also noted that given Dylan’s age (81), the signature wouldn’t have been so clean and precise. “At 81 years old, you would expect to see some shake in his signature.”

He also warned others not to purchase the book and asked to cancel their order if someone has already ordered.

One Reddit user claimed that it looked like the book had been signed with a machine that reproduces someone’s signature, called an “auto-pen”.

A fan took to Twitter to express his disappointment. He said, “Definitely NOT a real signature. I have 3 actual Bob autos that look nothing like this.”

@DefDylan @skennedy88
I got mine. Definitely NOT a real signature. I have 3 actual Bob autos that look nothing like this. Anyway, glad I’m getting my money back. The letter is a complete joke. pic.twitter.com/RBFk1nvabm

— Like A Rolling Spock