The Lyrics: 1961-2020

This is a must-have book if you are a fan of Bob Dylan! Also he wrote SO music for so many other singers, of any genre. He was quite the poet, and I certainly enjoyed just reading the lyrics to so many tunes I have loved over the years, and the words took on such a different dynamic when read rather than listening. I got this for a Christmas gift for my son and he says he certainly enjoys it.

This book is exactly what it claims to be: a collection of Dylan's lyrics, and about the best one there is.There aren't annotations, or essays, or anything like that. It is just very simply a collection of the lyrics to use as a reference, or to page through and read for pleasure. The lyrics are presented very nicely, in a large font, with each song getting its own page or pages if it's length requires more than one. The songs are presented in the order they appeared in on the album they were released in, with b-sides and other releases collected at the end of the section for the album that came out closest to when they were written. Each album has a title page with art from the album presented in black and white, and a page showing Dylan's hand written or typed draft of a song from the album. In terms of layout and content, it is almost just like the 2002 lyrics collection, only with the much needed update of 10 years of additional material. If you liked that book, you know basically what you're getting here.It is not 100% complete with everything he has written... I noticed that Marchin' to the City, a favorite track of mine that I think has only been released on Tell Tale Signs, was not included. The book does include many of the songs that he's written that weren't on his albums, though, and while there might be a couple obscurities missing, you will find a ton of great stuff anyway. As far as the claim that this collection features lyrics that have been newly edited by Dylan, I didn't find any yet, but I haven't read every lyric in the book or compared them all to earlier versions. I'm a big Dylan fan, but not a Dylanologist that spends his life studying every detail, so I look forward to the articles by those people which I'm sure are forthcoming that will examine the lyrics that have been changed.As far as supplemental material, multiple versions of the songs, color art, and extras like that, the large Dylan lyrics book from a couple years ago had more of those things. However, it was a gigantic, massive book, and it also cost a couple hundred dollars more than this one, depending on when you bought it. Personally, although that collection is beautiful, the size is an impediment for me. If you want a collection you can actually read, that one is awfully heavy and inconvenient. This is the one I would get.But in the meantime, if you want a book collecting the work of our greatest living songwriter, here it is, beautifully presented in a high quality volume. Doesn't get much better than that.

This hard cover book - The Lyrics 1961-2012 / Bob Dylan - is big (about 2"/ 5cm thick) and heavy (several pounds / a couple of kilos+) yet WAS POSTED IN A TOTALLY INADEQUATE FLIMSY 'ENVELOPE', resulting in receiving a brand new book - that was intended as a time dependent birthday gift for my son - looking used / 2nd hand with bent over / scuffed / damaged corners all round. Would not recommend this seller - SuperBookDeals - to anyone! Their packaging would be just barely adequate, if that, for a small soft cover novel. So suggest not buying anthing from them at all.As for the book itself, as the title says, it is (just) "The Lyrics 1961 - 2012", which hence includes only the lyrics from all the songs (and then a few extra's that wern't on the album/s) from all his studio albums from 1961 through 2012 inclusive. Don't be mislead by others who expected more from the book (than exactly what the title prescribes), after all the title does not say "the lyrics, alternate lyrics, and all the 'other' lyrics from every version of the same song Dylan has ever sung (as that would take numerous volumes ad infinitum). It is exactly what it says it is and rightly deserves five stars.Having had a copy myself since soon after it was first released, and still regularly peruse it, it is simply a must have not only for Dylan fans, but for anyone who enjoys poetry, and 'paintings' made of / with words. Whether you enjoy his music or not - and while a Dylan fan myself since the 60's, I am certainly not of the school that "Bob can do no wrong" by any means - he is a true genius, with his words and phrasing being remarkable, meaningful, hard-hitting and sublime; somtimes all at the same time: and as such they have endured the test of time, and will do so on through the ages. Truely a book you could be marooned on a deserted island with and be entertained forever.

Great to have Dylans' lyrics to be able to follow the song.

No hyperbole there. Dylan is one of the most profound and prolific writers of the 20th century. This is a complete collection of his works that any lover of poetry, philosophy, or storytelling will absolutely treasure.10/10 - Highest possible recommendation

This is what he got the Nobel for! It’s all there. Beautifully bound. Both an elegant work of art in itself and a functionally elegant reference (since the lyrics are organized by album release date as well as cross referenced by title in the index). Equally suited for your coffee table and your library.

Very fast delivery enjoy the book would recommend it

Here in this book hold the lyrics of all the many songs Dylan wrote. He has such an amazing way with music, but his lyrics are like poetry. No wonder he won a Nobel in Literature.