This past week, Bob Dylan and publishing company Simon & Schuester came under fire after it was discovered that several copies of Bob Dylan’s book The Philosophy Of Modern Song were autographed using a machine to create replicas of his signature.
The book contains Dylan’s commentary on 66 different songs by artists like Nina Simone, Elvis Presley, Hank Williams and more. Copies with Dylan’s supposed signature were going for as much as $599.
Today (November 26), Dylan has taken to Facebook to address the controversy.
To my fans and followers,
I’ve been made aware that there’s some controversy about signatures on some of my recent artwork prints and on a limited-edition of Philosophy Of Modern Song. I’ve hand-signed each and every art print over the years, and there’s never been a problem.
However, in 2019 I had a bad case of vertigo and it continued into the pandemic years. It takes a crew of five working in close quarters with me to help enable these signing sessions, and we could not find a safe and workable way to complete what I needed to do while the virus was raging. So, during the pandemic, it was impossible to sign anything and the vertigo didn’t help. With contractual deadlines looming, the idea of using an auto-pen was suggested to me, along with the assurance that this kind of thing is done ‘all the time’ in the art and literary worlds.
Using a machine was an error in judgment and I want to rectify it immediately. I’m working with Simon & Schuster and my gallery partners to do just that.
With my deepest regrets,
Bob Dylan
Simon & Schuester also addressed the controversy earlier this week, saying, “To those who purchased the Philosophy of Modern Song limited edition, we want to apologize. As it turns out, the limited edition books do contain Bob’s original signature, but in a penned replica form. We are addressing this information by providing each purchaser with an immediate refund.”
— Simon & Schuster (@simonschuster) November 20, 2022