The Rough Guide to Bob Dylan 2 (Rough Guide Reference) Paperback – October 2, 2006

The best book for newcomers to Dylan, but useful even if you already have a Dylan library.If you are just getting into Dylan, this accessible, balanced book has a straightforward biography, an overview of Dylan's career (all the albums to 2005 with careful dates and sensible assessments), a brief analysis of 50 outstanding songs, and smart suggestions for further exploration. It's peppered with lots of fun and factual one-page 'boxes' on issues such as Dylan and The Beatles, Dylan and Allen Ginsberg, Dylan and Joan Baez, Dylan and drugs--you name it! No other book comes close to it as an introduction to the man and his music, and it's a pleasure to read.It's useful, too, even if you already have a larger Dylan collection. I have many books on Dylan--I've been listening to him for 45 years, teach a university course on him, and enjoy access to tons of Dylan recordings, books, and films. Whenever I have a quick question, this is the book I always check first (and usually last). To get the facts of the biography, of the official and bootleg recordings, of whatever, it's a convenient and reliable reference.For anyone interested in Dylan, a great book to have on hand.

Music related Rough Guides are always a great read. You think you know everything about, say, Zeppelin or The Beatles but Rough Guides always seem to find new slants or even new facts. Essential. Just wish they had a greater range i.e. The Allman Brothers, Deep Purple, Iron Maiden, KISS, The Beach Boys, Yes, to name but some. I think the artists I've named would have international appeal and would be great additions to the series - if they plan to continue it.

After a long hiatus, I recently got very deeply back into Dylan. I'd missed 20 years of incomparable music (don't ask) and needed to catch up quickly. Nigel Williamson's crisp and pointed overview was the perfect solution. Done with a good deal of expertise and passion for the man and his music, "Rough Guide" helped me search out and prioritize the albums I would be adding to my library, providing me with context and analysis. The book, highly user-friendly in terms of everything from writing style and chronology to the same level of minutiae baseball lovers crave, will easily serve the needs of anyone new to Dylan, an artist so complex that even with this book and a host of others you'll be both overwhelmed and humbled. Williamson's book can be read front to back, by topic or simply "applied as needed." He covers Dylan's personal life, the songs ad their many versions, the personnel and of course the lyrics. I'm a musician, I covet every dollar and I'm OCD picky and I would still recommend this book to anyone who needs to know more about Bob Dylan.

Organized well into life, song and album info. Well written, easy to use. It is a bit dated, but that's no big problem for me. This overview would be useful and enjoyable to almost any Dylan fan, although it may be a bit slight for a hardcore Dylanologist, which I'm not--I just really like him and his music.

Good book

Helps to clarify the man who defies clarification! I thought I was a Dylan aficionado until I devoured this book.

the price and service were great

I reviewed the first Edition of this book and gave it five stars. But this edition is even better. Rare that a second edition can eclipse the first, but in this case a magnificient job was done at Rough Guides. This book is the definitive work (in compact yet detailed form) on Bob Dylan. It includes in it's over 320 pages minute details about Bob's life and songwriting, places where he lived, social circles and you name it. There are many details and summaries tightly packed in this book that border on encyclopedic accuracy. It is larger than the first edition, which is more of a pocket size. This edition carries much more detail, including information since Bob Dylan's book Chronicles 1 came off the press and the DVD No Direction Home's release. For the serious Dylan fan, there is hardly anything missing here, from his formative years to how songs were written, friends, acquaintences, web sites, albums and even hard to find facts. This Rough Guide book, along with Dylan's own original work, will find a place of authority in years to come.

I purchased a greatest hits by bob dylan just to see what all the fuss was about and was blown away. It was classic after classic after classic. I decided to find out more about him and his music so purchased this book. It tells you every single detail on his childhood, early career,every single album he ever released and the stories behind the songs. I doubt you will ever find a more detailed book on his musical career. I bought it a few months ago and I have only digested about half of it. The perfect book for a new dylan fan or a lifelong fan.