DYLAN BOOKS Monthly

February 2026

Welcome to the fourth issue of DYLAN BOOKS Monthly, a compilation of recent DYLAN BOOKS social media posts.

IN THIS ISSUE

ISIS Magazine part 2 (of 2)

ISIS Magazine: premier Dylan fanzine part 1 (of 2)

The Bob Dylan lyrics books - 10 key takeaways

The Bob Dylan lyrics books - 1961-2020 - does it even exist?

The Bob Dylan lyrics books - 2014 and 2016

The Bob Dylan lyrics books - 2004

The Bob Dylan lyrics books - 1985

The Bob Dylan lyrics books - 1973

ISIS MAGAZINE part 2 (of 2)

ISIS, the premier Dylan fanzine, was published as a paper magazine every two months from 1985 until 2022, when it changed to a quarterly e-journal.

Those who didn’t subscribe can enjoy the best of ISIS in three anthology books.

Bob Dylan Anthology Volume 2: 20 Years of ISIS (2005) is a selection from the first 100 issues, complementing ISIS A Bob Dylan Anthology (rev ed, 2004), covered in my previous post - there’s no duplication.

Bob Dylan Anthology Volume 3: Celebrating 200 Editions of ISIS Magazine (2019), a handsome hardback, has articles from more recent issues. My ltd ed copy has a very collectable Dylan CD.

ISIS MAGAZINE: PREMIER DYLAN FANZINE part 1 (of 2)

ISIS, the premier Dylan fanzine, was published as a paper magazine every two months from 1985 until 2022. Then, after 218 issues, it changed format to a quarterly e-journal. Many Boomer Bobfans will have a complete set of ISIS.

Its wide-ranging articles, by English publisher/editor Derek Barker plus familiar names like Michael Gray and Al Aronowitz, make it an essential resource for Dylan Studies.

Those who didn’t subscribe can enjoy the best of ISIS in three anthology books.

ISIS A Bob Dylan Anthology (revised ed, 2004) is a selection from the first 100 issues.

THE BOB DYLAN LYRICS BOOKS - 10 KEY TAKEAWAYS

Having introduced the five different editions of Dylan lyrics books in previous posts, here are my 10 key takeaways. Agree? Disagree? Corrections? Your comments are very welcome - “You’re right from your side…”.

1 Bob Dylan lyrics books are the most important Dylan books of all. Far more important than Chronicles, the best biographies, guides to the music or analyses of the songwriting.

2 There’s a confusing mass of different Dylan lyrics books but, essentially, there are five editions, first published in 1973, 1985, 2004, 2014/2016 and whenever the elusive 1961-2020 ed was published. To add to the confusion, there are hardback and paperback editions, different printings of the same edition and different publishers in different countries.

3 The most useful edition is always the most recent, currently 1961-2020. The rest are of interest to collectors.

4 The volume I cherish most is the original 1973 Knopf hardback.

5 The handsomest volume is the 1985 Knopf hardback.

6 The most collectable is the The Lyrics. Since 1962 (2014). Its weight and size mean you won’t actually use it much. Mine’s still shrink-wrapped.

7 The lyrics books, though very important, all have minor shortcomings. In his book The Bob Dylan Albums, Anthony Varesi documents some of their imperfections. As does Clinton Heylin.

8 Although Dylan is credited with multiple innovations in rockpop music, his wasn’t, surprisingly, the first book of lyrics. He was beaten to it by four years by The Beatles. Dylan’s was, of course, the first book of grown-up lyrics.

9 Dylan lyrics books have been translated into many languages. Translated lyrics are invaluable for non-English speakers - they present literal meanings. But they can’t replicate the poetry.

10 Bibliophobe Dylan fans don’t need to buy any lyrics books - the lyrics are freely available on the official Bob Dylan website.

THE BOB DYLAN LYRICS BOOKS - 1961-2020 - DOES IT EVEN EXIST?

I suspected that The Lyrics 1961-2020, covering writing up to Rough And Rowdy Ways, didn’t exist. I’d seen fan references to it, but couldn’t verify it on either the official Dylan or publisher Simon & Schuster websites. The Amazon listing has a cover shot and the title but confusingly cites its publication date as “2016”.

But seeing is believing! Thanks to helpful Commenters on DYLAN BOOKS social platforms who supplied cover photos, I can confirm that it does exist.

So 1961-2020 is the most up-to-date Dylan lyrics book.

If it has the same content as The Lyrics 1961-2016, plus Rough And Rowdy Ways, then it’s the obvious default buy for new purchasers.

THE BOB DYLAN LYRICS BOOKS - 2014 and 2016

The Lyrics 1961-2012, published in 2016, covers writing up to Tempest. It’s the current collection (or is it? More on that later). Every Dylan home should have one.

It was preceded in 2014 by The Lyrics: Since 1962. It’s a near-1,000 page de luxe collectable, with notes by revered Dylan scholar Christopher Ricks. My copy’s still shrink-wrapped - its an impressive artefact, but size and weight make it virtually unusable.

THE BOB DYLAN LYRICS BOOKS - 2004

This - the third - edition covers Dylan’s songwriting up to “Love And Theft”. The drawings have been replaced by monochrome album covers. Publication by multinational Simon & Schuster means uniformity across different national editions.

I find the 2004 hardback’s dust jacket unusually dull. Jerry Schatzberg’s Dylan portrait is weaker than the photographer’s iconic composition fronting the paperback edition.

THE BOB DYLAN LYRICS BOOKS - 1985

Lyrics 1962-85, the first update of 1973’s Writings and Drawings, covers Dylan’s songs up to Empire Burlesque.

The 1985 US hardback (Knopf), with the striking front cover portrait, was followed by two different UK paperback versions, in 1987 (Cape) and 1994 (Harper Collins).

Despite dropping “Drawings “ from the title, the three editions in my video all contain sketches.

THE BOB DYLAN LYRICS BOOKS - 1973

Dylan’s status as rock’s premier songwriter was cemented by the 1973 publication of Writings and Drawings, covering songs to New Morning.

The US pink hardback (Knopf) was followed in the UK by the 1974 yellow paperback (Granada). After heavy use, the binding of my paperback copy collapsed - my unlovely DIY ring binding helped it survive until the 1980 reprint.

I largely ignored the Drawings at the time. Drawn Blank led me to take them seriously.