Reviews (12)

The best Dylan book ever writen
A master in the day, Bob Dylan's story of his early coffee shop day up untill about the mid-80's. Robert Shelton in 1961 wrote a article for Dylan that help his music take off.Dylan went from the Village folk scene to performing in front of large crowds of people. This book shows the transition from a coffee shop to the big stage. While telling you a blow for blow story of Dylan's life right up untill the mid-80's. The story starts out close to Dylan and over the span of the novel it come more of a distant observer. This book summerizes the whole time period and makes Dylan's personality better known. His songs have more impact now that you understand his motives. I recomend reading it.

Detailed and yet Personal
You must be interested in Dylan, as both a folk artist and a renegade, to take on this lengthy biography. If you are though, Shelton provides you with almost a Bible of Dylan from 1941 in Duluth, MN to 1985 in NYC - through all his different stages, his changing emotions, his passions - and of course his music. Getting into Dylan can be intense but he'll rumble your soul and twist your head a couple times so you get to see whats all around you. His influence on music and society is absolutely far-reaching. This book is excellent!!!

All sides and aspects of a cherished and popular figure
Expertly written by Robert Shelton (the New York Times music and popular culture reviewer generally credited for "discovering" Dylan in 1961), No Direction Home: The Life And Music Of Bob Dylan is a faithful and definitive biography of the talented artist and his unforgettable music. An extensively detailed chronicle which explores all sides and aspects of a cherished and popular figure in American music, No Direction Home is a welcome addition to 20th Century Music History Studies collections and "must" reading for all Bob Dylan fans.

Not the Place to Start . . .
. . .start (of course) with the albums, of course, especially "Freewheelin'," "Highway 61 Revisited," "Blonde on Blonde," and "John Wesley Harding," "Basement Tapes," "Blood on the Tracks," "Bootleg Series Vol 4," and maybe "World Gone Wrong." Then check out "Don't Look Back" on DVD. Shelton's book has a lot of great information about Dylan, but it's not the best organized or most concise biography you'll ever come across (maybe it's the editor who worked on the book's fault [?]). It's also now a bit dated, published in 1986. Clinton Heylin's "Man Behind the Shades" (1991) and Howard Sounes' "Down the Highway" (2001) are both more up-to-date and easier reads. Greil Marcus' "Invisible Republic" (1997)does a better job of placing Dylan's music in a historical context. "No Direction Home" is a sprawling collection of interview excepts, biography, oral history, the author's personal recollections of Dylan, musicology, and literary criticism that never really connects the dots, but there is a lot of great information for the experienced or semi-experienced Dylan enthusiast to wade through

Good Not Great...
Whether or not this is the BEST Dylan biography is hard to say, there are millions of them out there...certainly it has to be the best-researched, and one of the most heartfelt; Shelton gave Dylan his first great review, "discovered" him, in effect, and though he critically assesses Dylan's subsequent works there's never a doubt that he's Dylan's biggest fan. A midnight conversation on a private jet between Shelton and Dylan in the mid-60's is the best thing in the book, fascinating reading...but there is such a concept as too much of a good thing, and the minutae Shelton indulges in gets tiring. He apparently went to every concert and every party Dylan did, and his insistence on inserting himself into the scene makes me wonder about his objectivity. Maybe Shelton thought he was one of the new journalists. I don't know. But less Shelton would've been helpful. Also, Shelton insists on punctuating almost every paragraph with a hidden line from one of Dylan's songs; for awhile it's clever, but it gets old fast.
The book was out of print for a long time, and that's too bad. I hope it stays in print. It's incredibly packed with facts and interpretations and long quotes both from Dylan and those close to him. It's just TOO MUCH, that's all. But good. A worthy biography of the most potent force in popular music since Sinatra. How's that for a name out of left field? ... Read more

Book Description

Bob Dylan has had a profound influence on the shape of modern pop music (folk, rock, blues) and as a modern literary figure. He has also attracted enormous attention from both professional and amateur "interpreters".

In this book Gilmour offers a thorough study of Dylan's reading of scriptures. He explores the ways in which Dylan transforms biblical images and concepts when he incorporates them into his literary world; it is an attempt to listen to the echoes of scripture in his published works. Gilmour closely reads Dylan's poems and songs and provides commentaries on several themes found in Dylan's work: the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus; apocalypse, justice and judgement; oppressive religion and religious irony. Through these readings, Gilmour calls attention to the various ways Dylan uses scripture both in an explicit and an implicit manner. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The abduction of teenager Elizabeth Smart by a fundamentalist Mormon preacher placed a renewed focus on renegade offshoots of the Church of Latter Day Saints and the culture surrounding the religion in the state of Utah (which, like the church, formally opposes polygamous marriage, though state and religious leaders both seem well aware that the practice continues, and they often turn a blind eye toward it). Like Natalie R. Collins's 2003 novel SisterWife, Dorothy Allred Solomon's Predators, Prey, and Other Kinfolk couldn't seem more topical, but it is an even more powerful book because it has the weight of truth behind it. "I am the daughter of my father's fourth plural wife, twenty-eight of forty-eight children—a middle kid, you might say," her frank memoir begins, and Solomon (a freelance writer who now lives in a happily monogamous marriage in Park City, Utah) maintains a similarly gripping and poignant tone through the book. Her family's story is a fascinating one: Her father, the physician Rulon Allred, was also a fundamentalist preacher and a closet polygamist who went to great lengths to keep his plural marriages and sprawling family a secret from society at large. In 1977, he was shot to death by assassins from a rival fundamentalist sect, the bloody end to a misguided lifestyle that had already taken a severe emotional toll on many around him. His daughter does not hesitate to expose the violent and sexist behavior that permeates many of these cultish offshoots of the Mormon Church, but she does not reduce the believers to one-dimensional caricatures, either, and in the process of sharing a very personal tale, she often steps back to place it all in the much broader context of religion and society, charting the history of the Mormons and the contradictions between ideals and actions on the part of both church and state. --Jim DeRogatis ... Read more

Reviews (9)

An empathetic journey into the world of the other Mormons
I thought this book was fantastic. In a very human way, it fills a huge gap in what I knew about Mormon History and present-namely, what happened to the tens of thousands of polygamous families when the church shifted from pro-polygamy to anti-polygamy, and who are the tens of thousands of modern-day polygamists and what is their relationship to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The mainstream church teaches that Joseph Smith wrote down a revelation regarding polygamy in 1843, but that he had started practicing it well before then, but never recorded who his "wives" were, nor when they were "married." Then Brigham Young and the Saints in Utah had a whole bunch of wives and were honest and upfront about it. The federal government had a massive clampdown on the lifestyle, and in 1890 the church issued a "manifesto" stating that the church no longer taught nor encouraged the continuance of the doctrine. The way the church teaches it, the people who were in polygamous marriages simply ceased to exist as soon as the manifesto was decreed.

We learn in the book that a few days before the manifesto was issued, the president of the Church, Wilford Woodruff, called Dorothy's grandfather into his office. He gave him a calling to move to Mexico and establish a colony there were Mormon Polygamists could legally live their religion. Her grandfather went, but between the lawlessness of the country and inhospitable climate, they could not survive and were forced to return to America. A few events transpired were his viewpoint collided with that of the mainstream church-in addition to having abandoned plural marriage, the Church had drifted away from the spirit of the United Order and Law of Consecration. You see how her grandfather changed from a leader in the mainstream church to a fringe member to an excommunicated Fundamentalist.

Dorothy does a fantastic job of showing you the world through the eyes of a child born into fundamentalist sects of Mormonism. It shows her religious heritage and how it connects to the religious heritage of mainstream Mormons. And it shows the life of a child who loved her mommy and daddy, but obviously wasn't cut out to carry on the religious tradition that she was inheriting. The reader can clearly see the follies of Mormon polygamy and the flaws in the various adherents. But the focus isn't on the follies and flaws. Rather, the focus is on the humanity of the children, women, and men who find themselves indoctrinated in a religion of outcasts.

Unoraganized & Boring
I didn't grow up in, or around polygamy (thank goodness), but I am interested in what compells women to chose a polygamist lifestyle. (Because, frankly- yuck!)

This book didn't enlighten my quest for understanding. It was terribly unorganized! The chapter's bounced around from past, to present, to family members the reader had previously gotten to know,to random fourth sister-wive's (creepy term)third grandaughter, never previously mentioned.

I didn't care about any of the people, except for some of the sad, sad women who were sucked into the 'lifestyle' by naive choice mixed with force.

Making things even worse, the book was so dreadfully boring most of the way through- the history of the Mormon's fleeing to Mexico was confusing, (so many wives to keep track of) & tedious.

What does Solomon really think about the polygamist lifestyle? She chose not to stay within it- but her thoughts on it are as riddled as the messy narrative.

I gave it two stars, instead of one, because I do admire her bravery- I'm sure she angered a huge amount of her brethren.

Overall, the book made me feel creepy, sad, and bored. I don't recommend it.

I agree with "Rosy Memories"
I thought the book was disappointing. She is a good writer but the overwhelming whitewash of her father was a turn-off. The focus of the book seemed to be simply the surface of her life and the surface of the religion, and near the end I started skipping pages to get to something interesting. I really didn't understand if she wanted sympathy for this lifestyle or was trying to explain it.
Her fathers wives certainly needed sympathy, but I could find no real hardship in her growing up despite her whining about not getting enough attention from her dad.Unfortunately I know too many folks whose childhood would make hers look like Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm to have any sympathy for her at all. Strange it may have been, deprived it certainly was not.

Very good read
I could relate to Dorothy's perceptions of her life and I admired her deep powers of observation. I did feel some disappointment over what seemed liked resistance to tying the cruel life experiences caused by her father's inability to care for his wives and children wholly into her picture of him. She keeps insisting throughout the book that he was such a kind, gentle and magnanimous soul. Yet he had wives and children that lived in isolation and near starvation and that experienced the under-belly of life. Her feelings toward her father seemed almost worshipful at times and I wonder how much of that is the residual byproduct of her polygamous environment, this being just what is encouraged in such a patriarchal culture and how much of this is maybe resistance to fully incorporating these truths into the greater picture because she is simply not ready to bring her hero down from the pedestal and view him as a member of the human race. She does touch on the darker issues and tells truths but somehow they become a side story, not a part of who her father was to her. Ultimately though, when I consider that we all move through life one step at a time and as I think of what Dorothy has accomplished, of the levels of awareness she has achieved based on what her homelife was as a child, I admire her tremendously for what she has been willing to see and for the truths that she has been willing to embrace and act upon. If this is where her development stopped it would a huge leap of progression for her family. Every now and then a child is born into a family who is destined to break abusive and harmful family patterns and it's obvious that Dorothy is that for her ancestors and future generations.
I would highly recommend this book. For me, it pushed some buttons regarding partriarchy because I was raised mormon, not in polygamy but in many ways the flavor of my home life paralleled the lives of those that lived "The Principle" as described by Dorothy.

Rosy memories
Ms. Solomon's quest for identity takes half-steps and wears rose-colored glasses. Hers is a unique story for those of us not raised by a religious fundamentalist committed to hierarchy, progeny, and lack of responsibility. She keeps reassuring readers that this man is devoted to love and God, although he ignores the needs of his family to gratify only needs of his own. The fact that his children have to rummage through dumpsters to find food for wives and children while he schemes against polygamist rivals is OK with her. She can't get past "us" against "them," the chosen--this happy little band of outcasts--against the great unwashed. I read the whole story with increasing disappointment. ... Read more

Book Description

Revised and updated edition of the hugely acclaimed document of Dylan's pivotal 1966 Manchester Free Trade Hall show where fans called him Judas for turning his back on folk music in favour of rock 'n' roll. After years of notoriety as the most famous bootleg of them all, the concert recording finally received an official release at the same time as the book's first outing.

"For any fan of Dylan, this is quite simply essential."-Time Out

Reviews (8)

Well researched and insightful
We are often told of how musicians and singers touch their audience with their work. But this book puts that sort of insight into a historical context which is quite compelling. We learn much from oral history and the author's own experience, but the author obviously did more than scholarly homework for this project. There is an authoritative command of the subject matter. I would recommend this book to any Dylan fans or those studying popular culture in general. For better and for worse, Dylan is a historical figure and shaped a generation with his move from folk to pop. His contribution to popular music should not be underestimated. Dr. CP Lee of Salford University gives this subject the serious study it deserves.

Disappointing
For some reason this was a disappointing read. Of course any information about Bob Dylan and especially this concert is great, but the way it's processed in this book is distracting. The best parts are the stories of the people who were there. The least effective were Lee's cultural analyses and song analyses. The more he writes the more he gets further and further away from Bob Dylan, it seems. The music from this show is so great, and deserves better. That those great songs are trod through local cultural suppositions is distasteful. Scrounge around for Eat the Document, listen to the Live 1966 album, leave this book in the dustbin.

Redundant, overpriced, and poorly written
You can buy Bob Dylan's LIVE 1966 in any self-respecting record store, and it comes with liner notes superior to this book.

It used to be like that, now it goes like this...
Well, what have we here? Only the best book yet written about the 1966 Bob Dylan world tour, and by focusing on the crucial Manchester 5/17/66 concert (now officially released), and by providing fascinating background detail surrounding the events leading up to this particular concert, Lee has demonstrated in a very entertaining way the reasons why we should care about Bob Dylan and the direction his music took in the mid 1960s. It's hard to believe now, after listening to the recently released Live 1966 double-CD set, that this music was dismissed as trash and the tour itself considered to be a disaster. In fact, the music created by Dylan and the Hawks at Manchester (and other venues in Europe in 1966) has proven to be more influential and longer lasting than most other contemporary music of the time. 1966 was truly the year that the music changed, and Dylan was there leading the way. C.P. Lee's eyewitness account shows us why music fans still talk about this amazing concert 33 years later.

Lee proves 1966 was Dylan's and rock's quintessential year!
I am a Dylan freak if ever there was one. For numerous reasons, 1966 was my favorite year. Not to have lived through (I was only four) but historically speaking. This was Bob Dylan at the height of his writing and performing powers, most Dylanologists/fans would agree, made even more amazing and controversial for the fact that at this stage of his creative genius, he was barely twenty-five! In addition, BLONDE ON BLONDE was, and still is, my favorite album, and the European tour of said '66 is undoubtedly rock's crucial moment. The songs that threw audiences and journalists into a frenzy that has not yet, to this very day, let up, were mainly from the most famous one-two punch in popular music's short history; HIGHWAY 61 REVISITED and BLONDE ON BLONDE. CP Lee's LIKE THE NIGHT is a book I've been waiting on for twenty years. This is not just an historical account of a moment in history which had enormous impact on music and culture in general, but a recollection from the author and a group of individuals who possess a real passion and heart-felt affinity for a man who became a hero not only for his artistic genius, but as much for his courage. Like so few artists before him, and even fewer after, Dylan spent the better part of two years doing things his way, regardless of how any other soul in the whole world felt about it. This book will entertain you, educate, surprise, and inspire you. It will take you back to a split second in popular music history when it actually mattered what kind of music and what kind of words an artist presented to his public. In 1966, rock and roll was twelve years old, still breast feeding on the teet of its public's expectations. Bob Dylan was perhaps its one-and-only rebel with a monumental cause: artists' rights/poetic license. LIKE THE NIGHT is a crystal clear snapshot from Bob Dylan's march on Manchester and the world of rock and roll. Read this book, and join the march. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (3)

a perfect book for this saber rattling period
This book is both beautifully written and illustrated. The Dalai Lama's message that love, not war, is the answer to the world's problems is presented quite well. Children will enjoy recognizing that this great man once was a child like them.

Highly spiritual book with a eye on human rights.
This book will be shared with my students. They have often endured many hardships in their lives and would enjoy hearing others' stories. The Dalai Lama is a very important person in the world and can not be ignored.

Complex story told clearly and with beautiful illustrations
Demi tells a potentially complicated story with clarity and simplicity. The illustrations are beautiful and evocative of the magical land in which the story is set. Where the takeover by Chinese Communist forces is concerned, you may need to fill your child in on some of the political background. Otherwise, the book is very accessible. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Reality-check - read this book
Need a reality check?Feeling sorry for your life?Then read Sorrow Mountain and experience life at it's best and worst.It will lift one out of ordinary existence into the realm of compassion and tolerance.One will begin to experience the essence of the Tibetan region and the mystical struggles of one held prisoner by torturous bandits who tried to steal the Heart of Compassion and failed.Turn off the tv "reality" shows and experience the real-ness of Ani Pachen and her Sorrow Mountain.I guarantee it will become your Sorrow Mountain too.

Inspiring story, beautifully written
I just finished reading this book and didn't want to put it down.The story of Ani Pachen is both horrifying and inspiring, how she against all odds not only survived but kept her faith, battling against her own anger at her captors to try to reach a higher spirit of generosity.The writing of Adelaide Donnelley is gorgeous and poetic, capturing the inner spirit and the mystical beauty of the land in words that lift this book to a high literary level.This book deserves to be widely read over many years. But it!Read it!It will move you.

Two Women of Genius
Sorrow Mountain is both a novel and a woman's life story.As Adelaide Donnelley explains in an afterword, "It is as much narrative as strict biography."Stories of the "life" of Ani Pachen, including her spiritual power to transcend torture and twenty-one years of imprisonment, and to transform destruction into hope, were the BASIS for this remarkable book.Ani Pachen wanted to be a nun, living peacefully and not killing (many Tibetan people have a religious calling); the circumstances of her birth forced her to become a warrior against the Chinese (again, this echoes the history of those of her generation).Captured, imprisoned, and tortured, she preserved her spiritual beliefs and her integrity (again, read the story of many her generation; the difference is that so many did not survive). Ani Pachen survived, made it to Dharamsala, and finally lives a life of meditation and spiritual focus. Thousands of Tibetans have escaped; many of those now live in northern India with His Holiness.The spiritual example they set: certainty of impermanence, compassion, forgiveness, and detachment--works for everyone on the planet.All of this matters.

But there is something more which matters.This book, like the story of its subject, transcends and crosses boundaries:in form, in approach.It is a novel, a spiritual guidebook, a history of Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism.The tone is mythic: "My country was once at the roof of the world, a place where the great spirits lived." The tone is cinematic: "In a darkened corner of my mind, a small patch of green appears. I watch it grow brighter, larger, until a vast green meadow stretches out at my feet.The meadow is dotted with clusters of flowers and is treeless, except for a willow or two."The tone is intensely personal, acutely descriptive: in prison, "The lice were so bad that I could see them crawling all over the heads in front of me.So thick I could sweep them off with my hand and not make a difference in their numbers."

The story is woven of dreams, memories, Buddhist teachings, horrors re-lived or imagined, and above all details that give it taste, sound, texture, and breath.As a work of art, it breaks all prior boundaries and should be studied by all writers who ever consider telling life stories--their own or anyone else's.If there is any drawback to the book, it is only that we cannot know what is Ani Pachen's voice and what is Adelaide Donnelley's.A Buddhist would assure us that the illusion of separation is unimportant, temporary, superficial.A Buddhist would tell us that Ani Pachen's story, and Adelaide Donnelley's storytelling genius, have become one voice for all of us.As the editor of another woman's life story, I come to this book to learn.I look back at my work and see how much trouble I took to leave Mpho Nthunya's voice exactly as it was, to be merely a secretary, taking dictation from her.I tried to keep my white privilege and sensibility out of the way of her African experience and her African ways of seeing.I think that was a good thing to do.But I deeply admire the merging of voices in the Pachen/Donnelley collaboration.It is a miracle to read, to study, to learn from.I am deeply grateful for it.

Sorrow Mountain: The Journey of a Tibetan Warrior
Ani Pachen & Adelaide Donnelly(2000), Sorrow Mountain: The Journey of a Tibetan Warrior-Nun, New York:Kodansha International, pp 293.Foreword by the Dalai Lama and preface by Richard Gere.

Some people live lives of such difficulty and suffering that it is hard to imagine how they carry on.Other people live lives in which they inflict so much suffering and difficulty that it is hard to imagine how they carry on.This book is a story of both kinds of lives.

It is primarily the story of Ani Pachen: a Tibetan woman born to a privileged life who lost everything when the Chinese invaded, became a resistance leader, was captured, tortured and endured 21 years of horrific imprisonment.When finally released she took part in protest movements before fleeing to India where she became a nun.

It is also a larger story of the Tibetan people and their Chinese oppressors.Invaded, oppressed, mistreated and murdered, the Tibetan people have endured for almost half a century their own holocaust in which 1 million of their 6 million people have been killed.This book puts a personal face on their suffering.As such it is a moving monument to the courage and forbearance of a person and a people. A moving foreword by the Dalai Lama and an equally moving preface by Richard Gere add further perspectives to the book.As Richard Gere concludes "May this book help to dispel the darkness of this darkest night of Tibetan history and be of benefit to all beings everywhere.May the hearts of our Chinese brothers and sisters be opened and may they quickly come to their senses."

History does repeat itself
Whether it is the plains of frozen Siberia in the Soviet Union or green pastures of Oswiecim in Poland, better (or worse for that matter) known as Aushwitz - history has been brutally repeating itself in the mountainous hights of Tibet in the current decades, outplaying itself right in front of our own opened (or shut) eyes.

This time the Red Chinese yet again dramatize the same vile and satanic scenario - ruthless homicide, destruction of an ancient culture of highest value to the humankind, brutal denial and annihilation of one of the most profound religious creeds of this planet, and thus prove and warn of their continuing disregard for all life.

If there is a difference, and an uplifting one, between the crematoriums of Aushwitz and those exiled who died in Syberia and that of the Tibetan destruction - the Tibetans uniquely defy their oppressors in life and death through their high and most advanced religious beliefs and their practice thereof.

The warrior nun is the most beautiful example of this truth - thanks to her sublime spiritual background and training, as well as a lifelong following of the holy example of lamas and gurus of her indomitable nation - she does have the truths of reincarnation and karma not only in her vocabulary but first of all in the deepest depths of her heart.

Such spiritual aristocracy is supremely prepared to face satanic oppressors with the legendary Chinese torturous twist. She has the unique mental and spiritual wherewithal to be able to suffer, survive and conquer. She has the body, sustained through her happy childhood on the best diets of the advanced eastern adepts, and the mind trained to perfection by the Buddhic practices of her holy faith, to be able to come out of the 21 years of the Communist hell and continue her life and service to the cause of freedom at the feet of the Dalai Lama in his (and hers) forced exile in India.

This book is a must reading for all informed and open-eyed Western readers - those who see the signs of the times and wish to do something about the probability, if not possibility, of the Tibetan scenario repeating itself in the West. Beware of the complacency and comfortability of our times - Ani Pachen, though raised according to the highest aristocratic lifestyle of her beloved Tibet - was never spoiled, indulged in or undisciplined but otherwise supremely prepared to face the challenge. And she did, victoriously.

Would you? . . . ... Read more

Book Description

Matching folio to Dylan’s 2001 album featuring 12 songs. Arranged for Piano, Vocal and Guitar. Songs include Mississippi, Po’ Boy, Sugar Baby and more. ... Read more

Book Description

He was told Mickey would never work-a giant mouse on the screen would terrify women! Fascinating Walt Disney tells the thrilling tales behind virtually all of Walt's most famous creations. You'll hear how Disney dramatically acted the story of Snow White in front of a tough-minded banker to raise the money he needed to complete the 1937 picture. Discover the surprising story behind the creation of Mickey Mouse and the huge emotional price Walt paid to have a character he could call his own. And find out the real story of Disneyland which he built despite the fact that Fantasia, Pinocchio and Bambi all failed in their first releases.

Fully orchestrated background music and sound effects enhance each story!

Filled with excitement and humour, Fascinating Walt Disney is an inspiring, unforgettable listening experience! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Recommended for Disney Nuts
"Fascinating Walt Disney" makes a good addition to any Disney library. It provides a behind-the-scenes look at the genius who made The Magic, and can be conveniently listened to while you're in your car.

That's not to say that it's perfect. While offering some interesting insights and anectdotes that I hadn't heard before, a number of the stories about Walt have already been covered elsewhere. But a bit of overlap is to be expected, considering how many people have already written about him.

I had trouble following the chronology of the book, as it would occasionally skip forwards and backwards in time for no apparent reason. While not a show-stopper, it was mildly annoying.

The music and sound effects in the background were high-quality and helped to set the mood for the stories. Sometimes the use of music to punctuate the punchline of a story went a bit overboard, but overall it was rather well-done.

I also have a complaint about the track layout of the CDs. The narration on each CD consisted only of a single track. This can make things difficult if you want to stop listening to the CD at some point and then come back later. You have to manually "fast-forward" all the through the track to the point where you left off. And folks with CD players that don't have a fast-forward button (the player in my car doesn't) will have to listen to parts that they've already heard in order to get to the point where they left off. It would've been great if every 10 minutes or so of audio was its own track, but "Fascinating Walt Disney" certainly isn't the only CD to fall into this trap. Patrick Stewart's "A Christmas Carol" does the same thing.

So to sum up... I feel comfortable recommending this CD as an addition to the library of those who are fans of Walt Disney. Long-time students of Walt's life probably won't find any earth-shattering revelations, but "Fascinating Walt Disney" still makes for some good listening while you're driving down the road.

Superb Presentation!
Fascinating Walt Disney is a throughly entertaining and extensively researched presentation. Although there is an incredible amount of information present, the narration is easy to listen to, and flows nicely. I had no idea that Disney wasn't always the huge success it has become today. I respect Walt Disney more and feel, in a small way, that I have met him through listening to Fascinating Walt Disney

The Most Entertaining Story Telling!
This Audio book truly inspires people. You get to truly understand the dynamics of Disney's success. A must for the American family.

By the end, you feel as if you met old Walt or perhaps you'll want to meet him.

Truly enjoyed it! ... Read more

Book Description

Hirohito and his Mickey Mouse watch, Goofy and Donald as our "Goodwill Ambassadors":Disney Discourse is an interdisciplinary examination of the founder and his empire. These essays use an interdisciplinary approach to read through Disney's domestic cultural production\M"innocent" national icons, as well as theme parks, cartoons and television\Mto analyze the global impact of American popular culture, the politics of Disney, and the complex reception Disney productions have received around the world.

The Disney corporation's ever-increasing visibility\Mthe opening of Euro Disney and new stores in malls\Mand vast influence over global culture demands critical attention not only in film and television studies, but in international diplomacy, architecture, economics and other related fields. Disney Discourse consolidates the best of the current work on Disney and provides a representative sample of past analyses of the Disney empire.

Contributors: Julianne Burton-Carvajal, Lisa Cartwright, Brian Goldfarb, Richard deCordova, Douglas Gomery, David Kunzle, Jon Lewis, Moya Luckett, Richard Neupert, Susan Ohmer, JosCCCCe Piedra, Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto, Alexander Wilson. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Complicates Assumptions about Disney
Disney Discourse is a substantial contribution to the field of Disney Studies. Smoodin's collection offers a range of reactions to the different Disneys that exist: television and film, theme parks, retail, and so forth. Furthermore, this interdisciplinary work is structured in three useful ways. First, it offers some representative materials from Disney's "golden age" that tend to praise Disney (both the man and the corporation). Second, many of the essays consider the reception to Disney. Three, the book is divided into four separate categories that provide an overview of possible approaches to the study of Disney.

As with any collection, not all the essays are of equal analytic strength. There are many good essays, however, particularl in the the sections entitled Cultural Production and Reception. Smoodin's own essay, "How to Read Walt Disney" is, in my opinion, worth the price of the book alone. Even essays which seem more grounded in personal reaction than critique have their worth; they demonstrate the investment individuals have in Disney as a site of debate.

Overall, the result of the book's conscientious structure is to complicate any easy binaries--taken as a collection, Disney Discourse refuses to unreflectively praise Disney or, equally problematic, simply critique Disney. Instead, Smoodin's book offers Disney as a site of investigation, of exploration, and of analysis. Indeed, Disney Discourse might be better renamed Disney Discourses in order to reflect the multiple ways people have approached Disney. Though not all the essays are equally strong, the book is a "must-have" for both serious scholars and Disney enthusiasts alike.

A collection of essays about Walt Disney and Disney Corp.
The essays included in this book cover many different aspects of Walt Disney and his Corporation. Some of the essays written are very negative. The editor appears to have a person adgenda in compiling the essays he included ... Read more

Book Description

This classic work is the definitive study of Bob Dylan's 40-year body of songs and recordings. This latest edition offers copious fresh material, including major studies of Dylan's remarkable use of the blues, nursery rhyme, films and the Bible. Unique in its scope and its integration of literature and music, criticism and biography, this highly entertaining and authoritative book has earned exceptional reviews. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Because something is happening and [we now] know what it is
The importance of this book is of course, the book itself, a 900+ page long overdue critical analysis of Bob Dylan's work. It is inspiring to realize that only Dylan, the Dylan, could receive this kind of treatment -- which is why I picked it up in the first place. Gray struggles with the same issues that myself and many other Dylan fans struggle with. Is Dylan a poet? As good as Keats? An entertainer? With stunning insight & careful research Gray's point is that he's all of the above, sometimes miraculous, ingenious, and witty, sometimes sloppy, maudlin, and cliche. Gray reveals in spades that Bob is at the very least, a genuine, well-read intellectual (The Browning - Homesick Blues connection blew me away)... And that if he had released selected songs throughout the years in little books of poetry he would have the respect he deserves in even the stingiest of critical circles (he would have won the Nobel Prize years ago). But then he just wouldn't be our Bob, he wouldn't have reached & changed the lives of so many, he wouldn't be what he really wants to be, a simple song and dance man.

Dylan: Blues, Bible, Literature: A Synthesis
Get ready for a heady and intimate adventure into the world of modern literature, Biblical reference & explication, the Blues, and the universals of collective unconscious, fairy tale, & story-telling: oh, and, by the way; the most revealing interpretation of Dylan's lyrics, songs, and moods. Also get ready to feel the ups & especially the downs of what Dylan-the-Artist conveys through writings and performance. You can almost feel Dylan struggling personally as well as being driven by the Heavens to create, withdraw, distill, and then re-create.

Yes, there are ponderous pontifications of praise, but I find it a very small price to pay for the exquisitely researched text. The footnotes are unbelievably rich. This is a veritable treasure for those who wonder how Dylan "did it"; took some of this, added some of that, and had the genius and guts to end up here, different from all others.

A special bonus was being motivated to take a fresh look at Street Legal and Infidels, which I had dismissed as not-up-to-standard. I now enjoy them as if they were just released wonders.

Beyond Dylan in particular, this book helps make sense of how music's sound and soul are both original and derivative, giving credit in loving detail to the roots of what has passed before & what marvels are before us now.

Vade mecum, goes all the way from blues to visionary stars..
If asked at the pearly gates, who was the best poet you ever encountered in your days on earth, I would not hesitate to say with great gladness, Bob Dylan, him of the sacred heart. And if Saint Peter pressed me for the best book of cultural criticism I had encountered in relation to poetry and religious vision, I would say Michael Gray's Song & Dance Man 3: the Art of Bob Dylan, and just sit there in mute prayer and lyric praise. This book gives back to the Dylan visionary blues project much of the joy and politics that went into its lifelong creation, see the chapter on Willy Mctell as "Willy Mctell," santa cleopatra there is nothing more to say on these ghostly trails of poesy, love, and theft. I will just give praise and 10 stars if I could.

Absolutely incredible
As an avid fan of rock scholarship (oxymoronical as some still consider the term), I've read many a bio and interpretive book through the years, and I have to say that this one, hands down, is the absolute most amazing one I've ever come across. Only Dylan - with his 40+ albums, 4-decade career, half a thousand songs, countless gigs, and sheer depth of material - could be subject to such a gargantuan examination as this, and Gray milks it for all it's worth. At over 900 pages, this book examines every aspect of Dylan's recorded work. The level of scholarship is almost insane. The footnotes alone are massive (some taking up the majority of a page); one chapter alone contains over 220 of them. This is not a book that attempts to "explain" the songs (Gray knows better than that.) What it does, instead, is give detailed background information on them: shedding light, at long last, on their genesis - showing us what songs, poems, books, movies or what have you may have influenced them. One gets a sense in reading this of Dylan's own vast knowledge of music. We learn here how deeply and thorougly he has mined such treasure troves of art as pre-war blues, folk songs, the Bible (though Gray borders on overkill on this particular subject), poetry of all sorts, and, surprisingly, nursery rhyme, fairy tales, and Hollywood movie dialogue. Some might claim that knowing such things takes the fun or novelty out of simply listening to a song, or of self-interpretation, but surely, it gives an extra layer or two of depth to Dylan's work, allowing you to appreciate them that much more. Some passages are surely revelatory. While some of the chapters are admittedly not as interesting as others, many are enlightening and downright ground-breaking. The chapter on his use of pre-war blues lyrics poetry is a cornucopia of exhaustive reasearch (the footnotes alone in this chapter could almost comprise a book.) Undoubtedly revelatory to many are the chapters on Dylan's use of nursery rhyme and movie dialogue in his lyrics (the use of the latter shines an entirely new light on the Empire Burlesque album.) Another element of the book worth noting is that it doesn't skimp over his too-often-unnecessarily-derided 80's and 90's work (a period where it actually became cool to despise Dylan.) Gray offers excellent analyses of such 80's masterpieces as Blind Willie McTell, Caribbean Wind (three versions!), Foot of Pride, Jokerman, Brownsville Girl, and the entire Oh Mercy album. All of these songs (and more) are thoroughly examined, and lend needed credence to truly excellent Dylan compositions that often do not get the credit they deserve. His 90's albums - Under The Red Sky, Good As I Been To You, World Gone Wrong, and Time Out of Mind - all have thorough chapters dedicated to them as well. The latter chapter I particularly enjoyed. I should also take time out to ackwnoledge not only Gray's parlaying of information, but his sheer excellence of writing. His prose is very, very good and he can be devastatingly funny at times, as well as scholastically serious. He also manages to avoid the two main traps of writing a book like this: hero worship, and promoting your own work through the medium you are trying to interpret. He's not overly idoltary towards Dylan: certainly he gives him much praise (all deserved, of course), but he also issues forth monumental drubbings at times - perhaps even too much at times. For example, Gray is extremely, extremely critical of such things as the Empire Burlesque and Unplugged albums, which is bound to upset some fans. But surely such critical honesty of opinion is preferable to the "Dylan is God and never makes a mistake; bow down and worship his incomparable art" vibe that is prevalent in so many other books of this type. Also, as I said, he manages to avoid the horrible pitfall of pushing his own works through the guise of interpreting Dylan; he wisely barely mentions himself here. Now, all this is not to say that the book is perfect. There are certain drawbacks; personally, I think Gray rides the Bible-influence hobby horse a bit too much, and I disagree with some of his opinions (only natural, and he doesn't overburden us with them), and certain parts of the book do seem a bit long-winded. Also, if you are looking for an in-depth study of what Dylan's lyrics "mean", or for a study of his live performances, then this is not specifically the book for you. However, any, and I mean ANY Dylanophile will want it regardless, as it casts such a deep, illuminating light on so many aspects of his career. There are a lot of books on Bob Dylan available, but this is one of the few truly indispensable ones. Comes absolutely reccommended.

Worth every cent. Hardback or softback - Indispensible.
An important and groundbreaking work, treating Dylan's oeuvre for what it is - a performance-based series of songs created by a sometimes-visionary intent on exploring the human condition through his own idiosyncratic blend of musical and literary influences. Other reviewers that have already noted the difference between earlier and later chapters in this massive book - that the earlier chapters are holdovers from previous editions, while the later chapters are newly written. There is a considerable difference in tone between these earlier (now-revised) chapters and the newly written ones. The later chapters on Dylan's blues inclinations, especially as manifest on his two underrated early 90's albums of folk and blues covers, and his 1983 masterpiece "Blind Willie McTell," are a revelation to anyone who would seek to understand the complicated relationship between Dylan's performances and past musics. Taking this argument up to the recent past, Gray's peerless appraisal of Dylan's most recent album, Time Out of Mind, is exciting and in many cases revelatory. His analysis of the song "Highlands" alone is worth the price of the book. Gray's extensive footnotes (which at times occupy the majority of the page they are appended to) function as good footnotes should. They work with the text, as a support for his arguments, and they expand on his statements by referencing the relevant recordings and texts. The nether-trails of recorded music are included here: one could spend an entire lifetime seeking out and listening to the albums listed in the footnotes.

Also, Gray's focus on Dylan in the 80's and 90's is refreshing. With this time-period in clear focus, Gray's work is a nice companion to Clinton Heylin's newly-revised Behind The Shades. These two books represent what is hopefully a new trend in Dylan writing. Instead of miring the man and his influence in the 1960's, Gray takes on Dylan's later periods with great enthusiasm and insight. Gray's most interesting work relates to Dylan's songs from the 80's - his analyses of such songs as "Jokerman," "Angelina," and "Carribean Wind" are essential reading for any Dylan fan who thinks that there are no Dylan songs after either 1966 or 1974 that can match the detailed intensity embodied in mid-60's masterpieces such as "Visions of Johanna," "It's Alright Ma," or "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues."

Gray's writing is refreshing in that he keeps a critical eye on Dylan, citing examples of Dylan's songwriting and performing laziness when such criticisms are called for. Also, unlike so many 'Dylanologists,' Gray does not use Dylan as a cipher onto which he projects his own agenda (religious, political, other). Instead, he makes an admirable effort to locate the essence of the works themselves, their meanings and roots, and to outline their development as much as his research will allow. His prose is eminently readable, and he can be funny as well as very serious, depending on what the material calls for.

Sure, at 900+ pages, the book can be intimidating. But it is not a novel, not something meant to be taken in all in one sitting. Perhaps it's not best to even read it from the beginning. Rather, dip into the comprehensive index, and find a term that interests you. I guarantee that you'll be led on several tangents and learn many things about Dylan and his music before you even realize that you're now reading about something entirely different from what you first looked up. Which is to say that the scope of this book is massive, and that anyone with a real interest in music would do well to read it. From Keats to Son House, from Woody Guthrie to Bumps Blackwell, and back to William Blake, this is an incredible feat of scholarship, the product of many years' devotion to understanding the rich and important body of work that Dylan has given us thus far. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Moving Biography of a Modern Day Saint
I first read William Miller's biography of Dorothy Day in 1984, a few years after it was published. I immediately grew to have a great appreciation for this complex woman who contributed so much to the Catholic social conscience of the United States. Her life is botha witness to Jeusu Christ and a challenge to live the gospel radically. Miller was a personal friend of Dorothy Day and his work was written a few years after her death. The book contains many details about her early life, conversion, and her work with Peter Maurin establishing The Catholic Worker movement including the renowned newspaper and houses of hospitality. Her pro-labor and anti-war activities are also chronicled. Miller also mentions Day's connections with a number of well known luminaries such as Thomas Merton, Dan and Phil Berrigan, and her altercations with Cardinal Spellman. This book is a fascinating examination of a great woman and a slice of Catholicism that is often ignored. ... Read more

Book Description

"The War and Peace of Rock and Roll." —Bob Dylan

In 1975, as Bob Dylan emerged from eight years of seclusion, he dreamed of putting together a traveling music show that would trek across the country like a psychedelic carnival. The dream became reality, and On the Road with Bob Dylan is the ultimate behind-the-scenes look at what happened when Dylan and the Rolling Thunder Revue took to the streets of America.

With the intimate detail of a diary, Larry "Ratso" Sloman’s mesmerizing description of the legendary tour both transports us to a celebrated period in rock history and provides us with a vivid snapshot of Dylan during this extraordinary time. This reissue of the 1978 classic resonates more than ever as it chronicles one of the most glittering rock circuses ever assembled, with a cast that includes Joan Baez, Robbie Robertson, Joni Mitchell, Allen Ginsberg, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, and a wild entourage of groupies, misfits, sinners, and saints who trailed along for the ride. Sloman candidly captures the all-night revelry and musical prowess—from the backstage antics to impromptu jams—that made the tour a nearly mystical experience.

Complete with vintage photos and a new introduction by renowned Texas musician, mystery writer, and Revue member Kinky Friedman, this is an unparalleled treat for Dylan fans old and new. Without question, On the Road with Bob Dylan is a remarkable, revealing piece of writing and a rare up-close and personal view of Dylan on tour. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Obviosuly Five Stars
Sloman's rant cuts to the bone and shares more than enough scraps from the feast of Dylan's mid '70's rock n' roll circus. His gonzo inspired adventure and inside/outside perspective are essential to understanding the status system of the stars on tour and the underbelly of the music industry. He writes with passion, humour, and desire. To be sure, he seems a pathetic sycophant at times, often treated like a mascot by the musicians and promoters, but his honesty and sincerity in not shying away from a less-than-flattering portrait of his situation makes one believe all the more in the truth of his tale. Anyone who feels that the book needs more Dylan and less Sloman clearly misses the point. His descriptions of Dylan as mystery man, his cogent intuitions about Rubin Carter, and his revelations about Joni Mitchell's songwriting process are bang-on. This is decidedly NOT a biography of Dylan, it is a story of one man's journey ON THE ROAD with a Bob Dylan tour. Any attempt on Sloman's part to disguise his experience behind a false veil of objectivity would render the story mute and destroy its delightful spirit. Hat's off to Ratso for a brilliant rendering of the Rolling Thunder Review.

far more depth than most rock books
i read a LOT of books on music, and though a solid Dylan fan, i wouldn't call myself a fanatic. This book really stands out in the level of detail it relates, and i would say it's as good as any writings about what it's actually like to be on a big rock tour. Sloman (also the ghostwriter of howard stern's 2 books) tape recorded 100s of hours of backstage chatter, so you do really get an accurate picture of the personalities here. Yes, its' slanted to the positive, since Ratso is certainly a superfan, but it's by no means a snow job. i'd compare it to "spanish tony" sanchez's book on the Stones insofar as you get far better insights to the players involved from this kind of account as you do a typical bio. i've read 5 or 6 other dylan bios and found this to be most enjoyable and insightful. The only reason i woudn't give it 5 stars is that you really have to be a pretty big fan of Dylan, folkies, or the rock touring world in general, because the level of depth here also means it's not for the more casual fan etc.

Love Dylan, but Not That Much
The whole thing seemed to be too much Dylan exultation for me. The concert was perfect, exactly the way it was supposed to be. Dylan was always so sage-like and untouchable. Get real! This is the story of Ratso following around a concert and he has a little more access than a fan who could follow the revue around. This seems like fiction not like "historic document" of a rock and roll tour.

Great, when it's about Dylan
This is a great book while it stays focused on Bob Dylan's legendary tour. And it's interesting when it diverges to cover the surrounding mania among fans, family and visiting musicians. But there's a point about halfway through, right about the time Joan Baez christens Sloman as Ratso, where the writer becomes deluded that his running feud with the tour manager and other personal tribulations are of equal interest to the efforts of Dylan and his merry band. And on this point, he is very wrong. Any doubters are invited to compare the "Dylan" and "Sloman" listings at this very website.

If you're a Dylan fan, there is some really good stuff here, and the book earns its four stars. And occasionally even the Ratso antics are amusing. But there are way too many times when reading this book is like watching a great movie, only to have the camera turn and follow one of the extras, for no good reason.

I take issue with PETE
I have written a review of this book earlier.
I take issue with "Pete" who clearly knows nothing about this
book or the way it was written.
It has nothing whatsoever to do with Shepard's Rolling Thunder
Revue, which I also have, and is mainly a picture book.
"Ratso" wrote a great book about the Rolling Thunder revue
and pay no attention to this idiot. ... Read more

Book Description

Thousands of books and articles have been written about Walt Disney and his organization, yet few people realize the significance railroading played in the evolution of the Disney empire. Encouraged by Walt's family and railfans inside and outside the Disney organization, Michael Broggie has chronicled the tale of Walt Disney's personal involvement in railroading.

This book unveils the private realm of Disney railroading through hundreds of photographs, many of which have never before been made public, and interviews with Mrs. Walt Disney, Diane Disney Miller, Ward Kimball, Ollie Johnston, Bob Harpur, Bill Cottrell, Roger Broggie, Bill Evans, and many others.

Walt Disney's love affair with trains began in his hometown of Marceline, Missouri.His first job was selling tobacco, candy, and newspapers on the Missouri Pacific line.By 1950, his enthusiasm for realistic model trains had evolved into an elaborate backyard live steam railroad.Walt's Carolwood Pacific Railroad included a 46-foot-long trestle, loops, overpasses, gradients, an elevated dirt berm, and a 90-foot tunnel underneath Mrs. Disney's flower bed!

The complete history of the Disney railroads, from small scale models to steam trains for the Disney parks is covered. This is a book all Disney collectors and railroad enthusiasts will want to experience! Over 300 illustrations, many previously unpublished. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Also an excellent book on the history of DIsneyland
I consider myself an expert on Disneyland; I'm a former Imagineer and a collector of Disneyland information. Michael Broggie is not exaggerating his father's importance to the realization of Walt's dream. This book goes slightly beyond the sanitized "official" version that the Disney company promulgates and includes some stories and details that haven't been widely known. It's a beautiful coffee table book, complete and accurate (except for one or two nits someone like me might pick). I love it particularly for all the never-before published photos--you get so tired of seeing the same old approved shots when you collect Disneylandiana.

In case Amazon doesn't provide links, I would also recommend "Walt Disney Imagineering" by David Mumford, et.al. and "Inside Story" by the late Randy Bright. Both are "official," but just as authoritative as Broggie's.

Worth reading from Cover to Cover
I normally only read technical books. I picked this book up just to look at the pictures. Then I started to read the short articles within the chapters. I found them so fasinating that I found myself reading the main articles. My son asked my wife "what is Dad doing reading?". Walt Disney said that it all started with a mouse, but after reading this book you will realize that it all started with a train.

Walt Disney's Railroad Story is a delightful book!
I have always loved the trains at Disneyland more than any other attraction. I always had dozens of questons about the trains that I wished I could get answers to. When I found out about this book I ordered it immediately. (My first experince with "one-click" ordering by the way, and WOW how easy!!) The book arrived on a Friday and I sat down to read it as soon as I got home from work. I could not put it down! I read straight through until 4am the next morning and finished it. It answered all the questions I ever had about the trains at Disneyland. It is a wonderful glimpse into the life of Walt Disney, and the group of incredibly talented people who worked for him. If you love trains, this book is a must. If you love Disneyland, this book is a must. If you could care less about trains and Disneyland, but you love a good story, this book is a must. Thank you Michael Broggie, for sharing this wonderful story.

A very fascinating book for railroaders & Disney fans
As a backyard railroader for the last 30 years, I had always wanted to find out more about Walt Disney's backyard, the "Carolwood Pacific". Now in "Walt Disney's Railroad Story", you can read about all of his interest in railroading, first building a miniature railroad in his backyard, and finally developing theme parks, complete with railroads. Author Broggie knew Walt personally, and covers all of the details of the many Disney railroads. This is one book that I could hardly put down until I had read it completely. I feel that this is a book that should be on the shelf of every backyard railroader and most Disney fans.

An outstanding book for fans of Walt Disney or railroading
Walt Disney's long-lasting love of railroads led, in large part, to the creation of Disneyland. This book chronicles Walt's interest in real railroads, miniature trains and the Disneyland & Santa Fe Railroad that circles the theme park. The text is great, but it's hard to take your eyes off the photos, including many from the Disney family albums that have to be seen to be believed. Ther are also numerous anecdotes from Walt's family and cronies. All-in-all, a tough book to put down. ... Read more

Book Description

This unique, best-selling series features quotes gathered over the years from family, friends, and the artists themselves giving the reader a personal insight into their music and world. Fully illustrated throughout with black and white photographs. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Starting A Dylan Book Collection?
This is really a (the) great book for the base of a Dylan book
collection. Each of the 112 pages comprising this paperback
has at least one photograph, and many pages have two or three!
In my mind the pictures alone are worth a binding of their own. They
include many of his co-workers, and famous peers. After looking
at all of them for the first time, you really get a "feel" for
the environment in which he has been working (living) for the
last 30 - 40 years.

The entire collection of quotes (quotes and pictures are all you get, folks)
are catagorized by a plethora of topics, which enables quick referencing,
so you really should learn ALOT about his PERSONALITY.
I say "personality" because the quotes are in
conversational mode, candid, ranginging from silly quips and
understatements to very sincere and thoughtful comments; the way
I imagine he shares with intimates. This is not a stilted,
unemotional, professional collection of aphorisms, and I feel better informed
as a result.

A must for any Dylan fan
Bob Dylan fans will enjoy this book that features over 100 pages of Dylan quotes on subjects ranging from music, the 60's, drugs, love, his idols, songwriting, and more. Everybody knows that Dylan was a wily and occasionally malicious interviewee, and this book reflects that. I laughed out loud several times at his witticisms directed back at the hollow questiosn that were put to him. However, there are some very pointed answers that he serves up here as well, that seemingly give a real insight into his persona, his life, and his views. There are also a lot of high-quality pictures. My only complaint is that the book is a little short-you can easily read it all in one setting, though it's probably a book that you'll go back to time and again to see what Dylan offered up on a particular subject-it would have been nice, for instance, if it had a section where Dylan commented upon particular songs of his, such as was done in the Leonard Cohen book in the "In His Own Words" series. Still, Dylan interviews are always hard to come by, and this is the best copendium you'll find featuring them.

Best Interview Book Around -- Fun
This book contains a compilation of Dylan's own words, transcribed from interviews, press conferences, radio, and TV shows. Complete with scores of pictures, In His Own Words is a must for any Dylan fan. Dylan dons persona after persona, and the results are quite entertaining.

Hillarious--the most fun Bob book
A must for any Bob Dylan fan, this book contains an ecclectic collection of Dylan's responses to reporters and others. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Critics seem to flock around Bob Dylan the way early photographers gravitated to New York's Flatiron Building: there's just so much to appreciate. Of all the scribes who have commented on Dylan's astounding contribution to music, Paul Williams stands apart as the person who perhaps best fit the criticism to the music.Much in the way that Dylan has created not just art but an entire genre, Williams, over the course of 30 years, has created his own unique style of writing about Dylan as a performer. Willia