Author Guide · Memoir, Lyrics & Prose
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In October 2016 Bob Dylan became the first songwriter to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition”. The prize was for his songs, but he has also published books for more than fifty years: an experimental prose-poem written in the mid-1960s, several editions of his collected lyrics, a memoir, the Nobel Lecture itself, and a book of essays about other people’s songs. This guide covers his 7 key books, in order, and where to begin.
By Lisanne Swart · 7 key books · 1971–2022 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Bob Dylan’s best-known books are the memoir Chronicles: Volume One (2004), The Philosophy of Modern Song (2022), the prose-poem Tarantula (1971) and his collected lyrics. Start with Chronicles: Volume One. Read on for the order of the rest and the disputes around two of them.
Where to Start with Bob Dylan
If you want his own account of his life
→ Chronicles (2004) — the 2004 memoir.
If you want him writing about other people’s songs
→ The Philosophy of Modern Song (2022) — 66 short essays.
If you want the songs as words on the page
→ The Lyrics (2014) — the collected lyrics.
If you want the 1960s Dylan at his strangest
→ Tarantula (1971) — the experimental prose-poem.
7 Bob Dylan Books, in Order
Tarantula
A book of experimental prose and poetry written in 1964 and 1965, as he was moving from folk to electric rock. Pirated editions circulated for years before it was officially published in 1971.
Writings and Drawings
An early collected edition of his song lyrics, published in 1973, with his own drawings.
Lyrics, 1962–1985
A later collection of his lyrics, covering his songs up to 1985.
Chronicles
Published in October 2004. It is not a full life story told in order: it moves between a few periods of his life, starting with his arrival in New York in 1961 and the Greenwich Village folk scene.
The Lyrics
A large edition of his lyrics, edited by the critic Christopher Ricks with Lisa and Julie Nemrow.
The Nobel Lecture
The lecture he recorded to fulfil the requirements of the 2016 Nobel Prize, released in June 2017 and published by Simon & Schuster as a short book. He writes about his musical roots and about the books that shaped him, among them Moby-Dick.
The Philosophy of Modern Song
Published by Simon & Schuster on 1 November 2022. It contains 66 short essays on songs by other artists, from Stephen Foster to Elvis Costello.
In What Order to Read Bob Dylan
The books are not connected, so start wherever your interest is. Chronicles: Volume One is the most accessible. The Philosophy of Modern Song reads well straight after it.
The lyric collections are for reading alongside the records; The Lyrics: Since 1962 is the most complete. Tarantula is the hardest of the books and makes most sense once you know the mid-1960s albums.
A reading path
1. Chronicles: Volume One (2004)
2. The Philosophy of Modern Song (2022)
3. The Nobel Lecture (2017)
4. The Lyrics: Since 1962 (2014)
5. Tarantula (1971)
Everything Else Bob Dylan Published
Beyond the 7 key books: 1 more, grouped by kind.
Open a group with the + to see every book in it.
Picture books for children
1
1 book · 2008
- 2008Forever Younghis song as a picture book, illustrated by Paul Rogers
The years · 1941–2022
Quick facts about Bob Dylan
- Known for
- Bob Dylan is the American singer-songwriter who won the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature for his songs and wrote the memoir Chronicles: Volume One.
- 1941
- Born Robert Zimmerman in Duluth, Minnesota
- 1966
- Motorcycle crash; stops touring
- 1971
- Tarantula
- Born
- Robert Allen Zimmerman, 24 May 1941, Duluth, Minnesota; grew up in Hibbing
- Nobel Prize
- Literature, 2016
- Other honours
- Pulitzer Prize special citation (2008); Presidential Medal of Freedom (2012)
- Memoir
- Chronicles: Volume One (2004)
- Essays
- The Philosophy of Modern Song (2022)
- On film
- A Complete Unknown (2024), with Timothée Chalamet as Dylan
The red mark is 2004: Chronicles: Volume One, his memoir.
How Bob Dylan Writes Prose
His prose books do not follow the usual rules of their forms. Chronicles: Volume One does not tell his life in order, but moves between a few periods of it, beginning with his first months in New York in 1961.
The Philosophy of Modern Song mixes two kinds of writing for each song: a passage in the second person that speaks from inside the song, then a more conventional essay about its background, its singer or its subject.
The Nobel Lecture sets out where he thinks songs stand in relation to books. For other songwriters who have written books, see the guides to Leonard Cohen, Patti Smith and Nick Cave.
Frequently asked questions about Bob Dylan’s books
How many books has Bob Dylan written?
Seven key books are listed on this page, from Tarantula (1971) to The Philosophy of Modern Song (2022), three of them collections of his lyrics. He has also published picture books of his songs and books of his art; one is listed further down.
What are Bob Dylan’s books in order?
Tarantula (1971), Writings and Drawings (1973), Lyrics, 1962–1985 (1985), Chronicles: Volume One (2004), The Lyrics: Since 1962 (2014), The Nobel Lecture (2017) and The Philosophy of Modern Song (2022).
Where should I start with Bob Dylan’s books?
With Chronicles: Volume One (2004), his memoir. Then try The Philosophy of Modern Song.
What is Bob Dylan’s most famous book?
Chronicles: Volume One (2004), his only memoir so far.
Did Bob Dylan win the Nobel Prize for his books?
No. The 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded for his songs, “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition”.
Is there a Chronicles: Volume Two?
Dylan has said he is working on a sequel to Chronicles: Volume One. This page lists only the books confirmed as published.
What is A Complete Unknown based on?
The 2024 film is based on Elijah Wald’s book Dylan Goes Electric! (2015), not on Dylan’s own books.
What were the controversies about his books?
Two drew attention. In 2017 writers pointed out that parts of his Nobel Lecture about Moby-Dick closely resembled the study guide SparkNotes. In 2022 buyers found that limited “hand-signed” copies of The Philosophy of Modern Song had been signed with a machine; the publisher apologised and refunded them, and Dylan called it “an error in judgement”.
Is Bob Dylan still alive?
Yes. He was born on 24 May 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota.
Footnotes
- Bob Dylan — Wikipedia
- The Philosophy of Modern Song — Wikipedia
- Bob Dylan fulfills Nobel Academy’s lecture requirement — NPR
- Did Bob Dylan steal parts of his Nobel lecture? — MPR News
- Bob Dylan apologizes over autopen controversy — Rolling Stone
- The author behind the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown — Tufts Now
Bibliography last verified 9 October 2026. Where sources give different first-publication years, this page uses the year in library catalogues or the publisher’s own record.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
“But songs are unlike literature. They’re meant to be sung, not read.”
— Bob Dylan, Nobel Lecture (2017)
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